We collaborated with StoryCorps Studios in 2022 to begin capturing conversations between the remarkable people who help develop, maintain, protect, promote, and use the North Country National Scenic Trail.
From volunteers to thru-hikers, we’ve heard so many beautiful perspectives and reflections. We invite you to listen and to share yours, too. Through recording, sharing, and preserving these conversations, we aim to recognize dedicated volunteers and members; elevate awareness of the Trail and preserve trail history; grow community leadership; and expand the NCTA volunteer base.
The stories featuring Tom and Mary Moberg and Ruth and Dan Dorrough were produced by StoryCorps Studios in partnership with North Country Trail Association. Interviews recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve humanity’s stories.
The additional stories below were produced by North Country Trail Association, using interviews recorded by StoryCorps.
Joan Young and Lou Ann Johnson
Joan Young and Lou Ann Johnson reflect and compare their respective journeys as two of the first women to complete the entire North Country National Scenic Trail. Recorded in Walker, Minnesota.
Lorana Jinkerson and Jerry Fennell
Lorana Jinkerson and Jerry Fennell are dedicated volunteer leaders for the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) and generous, indelible philanthropists with the North Country Trail Association (NCTA). They have served on the NCTA Board of Directors. They have built and maintained trail as volunteers. In this conversation, Lorana and Jerry reflect on meaningful experiences, their friendship, and the legacy they wish for this trail community. Recorded in Walker, Minnesota.
Bill Menke and Tom Gilbert
Tom Gilbert was the first National Park Service (NPS) Superintendent of the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST), and was deeply involved in the original route planning for the Trail. Bill Menke worked for both the U.S. Forest Service and the NCTA for many years. He was heavily involved in planning the NCNST alongside Tom. Tom and Bill discuss their shared experience planning the original route of the NCNST. Recorded in Walker, Minnesota.
Madeline Blyveis and Tessa Fenstermaker
Madeline Blyveis and Tessa Fenstermaker are two young women who reflect on how they discovered the North Country National Scenic Trail, and how they got involved in volunteer service via the NCTA Next Generation Coalition and their local NCTA Chapters. Recorded in Walker, Minnesota.
Bill and Bob Courtois
Twin brothers Bill and Bob Courtois discuss their pathways of involvement with the North Country Trail Association, from hikers to supporters to volunteer leaders. Recorded in Chestertown, New York.
Jan Ulferts Stewart and Gerry Berg
Jan and Gerry are dedicated volunteers hailing from North Dakota. While they represent the western end of the North Country National Scenic Trail, their impact is felt trail wide. Gerry reflects on life experiences that have motivated him to serve his trail community for multiple decades, and Jan shares her hopes and vision for the trail’s future. Recorded in Walker, Minnesota.
Andrea Ketchmark and Gary Werner
Andrea and Gary are colleagues in their “endeavor to make the National Trail System whole.” Andrea is the Executive Director of the North Country Trail Association. Gary is now retired, but formerly worked for the Ice Age Trail Alliance in Wisconsin and one of the original organizers of the Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS), a nonprofit based in D.C. These two trail leaders trek down memory lane together, recalling how they fell in love with trails and the outdoors in the first place, thus building the foundation of their careers. Recorded remotely from Michigan and Wisconsin.
Mary Coffin and Stephanie Campbell
North Country Trail Association staff member Stephanie Campbell interviews Mary Coffin, esteemed trail volunteer based in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Mary explains why she has chosen to dedicate so much of her time and knowledge to the North Country National Scenic Trail with both the North Country Trail Association and the Adirondack Mountain Club. Recorded in Chestertown, New York.
Jane Norton and Nikki Sobell
Jane and Nikki are volunteer leaders in neighboring NCTA Chapters in Southern Michigan. Though a few decades apart in age and counties apart in distance, they discuss the similarities of their respective upbringings, and how their outdoor-centric childhoods influenced their decisions to serve the trail community. Recorded in Walker, Minnesota.
Mike and Tina Toole
Mike and Tina are a married couple who call Northern Pennsylvania home, where they frequently hike, maintain, and promote the 100-mile stretch of North Country National Scenic Trail through the Allegheny National Forest. They are both extremely dedicated volunteers at both a local and national level. They reminisce about an early mentor of theirs, the creation of the Allegheny 100 Hiking Challenge, and what experiences keep them loving and supporting the trail year after year. Recorded in Walker, Minnesota.
Ken Gackler and Andrea Ketchmark
Ken has been with the North Country Trail Association from its creation in 1981: He is Member #2. (As of late 2024, there are nearly 6,000 members!) Executive Director Andrea Ketchmark interviews Ken about his earliest experiences with the North Country Trail and his involvement in the formation of the Association. Recorded in St. Ignace, Michigan.
StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. Since 2003, StoryCorps has recorded and archived more than 70,000 conversations from more than 600,000 participants. The conversations are preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. Stories from the North Country Trail community are included in this collection.
