Our Stories

Duane Lawton: NCNST Long Distance Hiker

Duane Lawton

Michigan (previously received central patch + 1000 Miles and Mackinac Bridge)

Right after retiring in 2006, I undertook a multi-day hike in the Porkies and Trap Hills with cousins. I had discovered there was a trail there called the “North Country Trail.” Then having just moved north, I discovered there was a local Chapter of the NCTA having a meeting, so I went. The rest is history.

All of Michigan was a 13-year effort, doing it a piece at a time, usually with friends and relatives, and thoroughly documented. I finished on September 1, 2019 at the Black River Harbor west of the Porkies, with Dove and John Day. The trail is an obsession, something that I can support and enjoy.

Learn more about long distance hiker recognition at explorenct.info/NoCoLo/index.htm.