Our Stories

Bud Tristano: NCNST Long Distance Hiker

Bud Tristano

Central patch + Pennsylvania

I had not done any serious hiking in quite a few years, when in 2019 an innocent article about Cook Forest State Park showed up on one of the local news sites. Apparently, some film scenes were shot there in 1947. The film was Unconquered starring Gary Cooper and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. I bought the DVD and was next inspired to find the locations in Cook Forest. The Cook Forest map/brochure indicated that there were 53 miles of trails in the park itself and that led to the goal of hiking every trail … of which the North Country Trail is one. I had been seeing NCT signs around my hometown of Clarion, PA, as it passes very near the town, but did not really pay much attention to them. My Cook Forest pursuit made the NCT a very real thing for me.

This started a five year journey – I never expected that I would even consider hiking much more of the NCT. Every year I would chip away at it, becoming more and more enthralled. Can one fall in love with a trail? The answer has been an emphatic yes! First there were the sections close to home: Cook Forest, along the Clarion River, then the Allegheny. Then a little farther away were Moraine and McConnells Mill State Parks, and the Allegheny National Forest (ANF)! Perhaps the most stunning area was the ANF around the Allegheny Reservoir. I reached the New York state line in August and then resumed my journey towards Ohio. I reached the Ohio state line September 20, 2024. All in all it took five years, two weeks, and two days.

Since I used only one vehicle, I had to do every little section out-and-back, effectively hiking the NCT in PA both directions. I have made two playlists on my YouTube channel. One is from Clarion to NY and the other is from Clarion to OH. My earliest videos did not do justice to the NCT and I will re-hike those sections to improve upon the overall playlists. These were all day hikes – no overnight camping for me! In 1981 I did the full back pack experience on 100 miles of the Baker Trail (which coincides with the NCT in Cook Forest). As it turns out, 100 miles is the perfect unit for me to experience backpacking. NCT’s 4,800 miles? That equals what I did in 1981, 48 times! Although I loved the experience, that kind of trip is no longer on my bucket list … it has been moved to the other one.

Needless to say, I will still be thrilled to spend more time on the NCT, in PA or other states as well. Thank you to all who made this trail a reality!

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