Our Stories

NCT Thru-hiker / “All In Trekker” departed Lake Champlain on 1/1/11

Samuel Gardner, NCT thru-hiker and PWF Chapter member, just reported leaving Lake Champlain on his westbound thru-hike of the NCT.   Here is what he wrote recently about his trek and his unique story…

Hello everyone! I am Samuel Gardner, and I grew up 15 miles off of the NCT in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I am fortunate enough to have parents who encouraged hiking on the nearby trail and to belong to a Boy Scout troop that was dedicated to improving and developing various local sections of the trail. When I was working on my Eagle Scout award, I organized and led a two-day endeavor to build two foot bridges on the NCT. Now, years later, I am a official member of the Peter Wolf Chapter and am about to tackle the trail from a new angle: hiking the entire length of it in one go. But the journey is bit longer than that, because after I complete the NCT I’ll keep on walking.

So here’s the plan: on January 1st, I will begin what I am calling the “All-In Trek” which includes hiking the four longest trails in America back-to-back and end-to-end in one continuous 12,500+ mile journey. The four trails are the North Country Trail, The Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail.

The first leg of the journey is the North Country Trail starting on the Eastern terminus in Crown Point State Park, NY. I will be hiking west through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. It is my intention to complete the NCT in approximately 5 months so that I can start hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in June and continue on with the All-In Trek.

On the NCT, it is my goal to enjoy the challenge of the snowy journey and experience all that the trail has to offer in scenic value, solitude and people. It is my intention to provide more exposure for the NCTA in the public’s eye and to share my story with all who are interested via my online journal.

I want to invite all of you to follow my trek. Please feel free to contact me via email. It might take me a few days to reply but I will. Several people have already offered support in the form of car rides to grocery stores for resupply, as well as a roof to sleep under. I want to thank those people for all their support and generosity. It is truly appreciated very much. It is a comfort to know that such a great trail community exists. I look forward to meeting you all. See you out there!

-Samuel

Let’s all wish Samuel well on the NCT portion of his “All In Trek.”  It should be an interesting trip and one worth following via his online journal.