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Lisa Snook: NCNST Long Distance Hiker

Lisa Snook

Minnesota + North Dakota
(Previously received the central patch + Michigan, Wisconsin, Mackinac Bridge, 1000 Miles, and 2000 Miles.)

As I reflect on the last year of hiking, I am so thankful for the opportunity to have experienced the wonderful remote sections of the NCT. My long-distance hiking buddy Barb Whittington and I completed the Border Route Trail in August 2023, the Kekekabic Trail in September 2023, and all of North Dakota in three separate trips in April and September 2023 and May 2024, making our total for NCT unique miles approaching the 3,000-mile mark. All these hikes were challenging in their own way due to weather, remoteness, or terrain.

When our friends learn of our hikes, they are supportive of our efforts to be sure, but I also see a healthy dose of, “yeah, but why?” cross their faces. “Why would you travel so far? Why didn’t you start this endeavor at a younger age?” Why… Why…

For the Kek and the Border Route hikes, the why included the challenge. We backpacked both trails, navigated with maps and compasses. We negotiated beaver dams, blowdowns, and reroutes. We carefully hung our food to avoid bear activity. We filtered our water, packed out what we packed in, and managed in a thunderstorm. But the why also included (and more importantly) the experience of the solitude, and the beauty of the Boundary Waters and its flora and fauna. While there, a beaver ran right in between us. We were entertained by a weasel playing in a rock field. (Side note, I now fully understand the meaning of the kids’ song Pop Goes the Weasel.) On getting to the trail, we encountered a moose. There was a constant presence of loons on the Border Route, and a plethora of interesting plants and gorgeous views on both the Kek and the Border Route.

After completing the Kek, we headed to New Rockford, North Dakota, where we had left off last hike. It was a pleasant drive and a welcome time off our feet after the Kek. The why had changed somewhat for our North Dakota hike. Our goal at first was to connect the dots toward completing the entire NCT in section hiking. But for me, the purpose changed. I am from farm country in Ohio, but nothing compares to the agriculture in North Dakota. We got to see it in both spring and fall, both growing crops and raising cattle and sheep. I found it all fascinating. I was amazed at how we could see for miles and so often we could turn 360 degrees on a roadwalk and see no houses or barns. I was also very impressed at the size of the farm equipment and the technology involved. The people we met were sincere and genuine, often asking if we were okay or needed anything. One farmer asked us, “Are you walking on purpose?” which I thought was indicative of the hard-working culture where what you did normally offered the exercise that you needed.

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