Our Stories
Jason Murrell: NCNST Long Distance Hiker
Jason “Abe Linkoln” Murrell
End-to-end hiker; central patch + Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota; 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 miles
My hike of the North Country Trail started in April of 2020. My intention was to hike the trail in one go. I had just been booted off my Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) attempt by the Covid drama. I had sold my house and most of my possessions, so when Covid happened, I really had nowhere to go. I decided that maybe the NCT would be an option, since there are very few people in North Dakota.
North Dakota is a pretty state, with all its farmland, grasslands, and a very long canal. One funny thing I remember about North Dakota was that I had the cops called on me three times when I was walking the endless farm roads. The cops were always cool, told me certain farmers are paranoid about getting stuff stolen, and when they see unfamiliar people walking down their road, they call it in. Just funny, because I’m trying to carry as little weight as possible, so stealing anything and having to carry it is the last thing on my mind. Fortunately, the cops had a sense of humor about it also, and we had some laughs.
On to Minnesota with more farmland, then into the forests and lakes, so many lakes. And spring snowstorms. The highlights for me were the very remote Kekekabic/Border Route trail and the Superior Trail along the north shore of Lake Superior. So many beautiful cascading rivers, lakes, and of course, the shoreline. Once I got to Duluth, my thru-hike became a section hike. I got a work opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up, so I got off trail.
It wasn’t till September 2022 that I resumed my hike. I finished up the Duluth area, then on into Wisconsin. I remember some very beautiful rivers and streams.
Into Michigan, what a beautiful, and large state! The Porcupine Mountains, Pictured Rocks, and more Superior lakeshore. I ended this segment a little north of St. Ignace due to a snowstorm and oncoming winter.
In September 2023, I made it down to the Straits of Mackinac, got a ride across the bridge with the bridge authority, and continued into Lower Michigan. This part of Michigan was extremely beautiful also, the only problem was that I was east of Lake Michigan, and because of the changing temps, I was pounded for 16 days straight of nonstop lake effect rain. Then the route started getting a lot more urban, so I was able to get out of the weather most of the time.
Amazingly, once I got into Ohio, the weather changed drastically, and I had beautiful weather for the rest of my hike that year. Ohio and the Buckeye Trail were fascinating to me. I’m a big history buff, and so to hike along all those canals all the way to Dayton was super. It’s just mind blowing what people were able to accomplish with primitive tools. Once past the Cincinnati area, I headed east into the Appalachia Foothills. Once again, I had to end my hike due to the onslaught of winter.
The next spring, March 2024, I continued my final push to Vermont and the Appalachian Trail. I had no idea something like Hocking Hills existed in Ohio. Such a spectacular area! Wayne National Forest had miles of beautiful trail. Finally into Pennsylvania, my early season start caught up to me with horrible weather. Lots of rain, snow, and flooding for days on end. I came very close several times to coming back at a later date. However, I just kept telling myself that there were no bugs! There was a lot of well-maintained trail and quite a few nice shelters.
Once I got to New York and the Finger Lakes Trail, the weather instantly became beautiful. I don’t really remember any more bad weather for the rest of the hike. There was a certain amount of route finding to do in the Adirondacks. I guess the trail hasn’t really been built yet in certain areas. And I loved every minute of it! I just love that exploratory feel. And with all the beautiful lakes and rivers, just amazing!
Vermont started with some nice farmland, into Middlebury with all its urban trail, and then into the mountains. The trail up to the Long Trail was beautiful. However, once I got onto the Long Trail, everything changed. Since it was early season, there was still a decent amount of snow up at the higher elevations. I was able, however, to get through and make it to the AT.
I started the NCT on April 18, 2020, and ended May 10, 2024.
Such beautiful, amazing trail! The most diverse and adventurous long trail I’ve ever hiked, and I’ve hiked the other three big trails. I only ran into one other thru hiker, which is so drastically different from the other trails. Definitely a life changer!
Learn more about long distance hiker recognition at explorenct.info/NoCoLo/index.htm.