Our Stories

Epic 50th Birthday Hike

  By David Gill In July 2020, I was turning 50 years old and wanted to do something epic that I would remember. I planned to backpack 100 miles. “Now where do I complete this hike?” I thought. I have completed the Quehanna Trail once before and felt due again, but that loop is only […]

Nancy DeJong: NCNST Long Distance Hiker

Nancy DeJong Central patch + Michigan, Mackinac Bridge, and 1000 Miles When I was a child, my dad loved to hike and backpack, and did it with my brothers. I knew he liked to hike on the North Country Trail, was a member of the Association, and got their magazine. I have some of his […]

Elizabeth Root: NCNST Long Distance Hiker

Elizabeth Root Central patch + Michigan, Pennsylvania, Mackinac Bridge, and 1000 Miles Stepping cautiously across the grated portion of the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day 2016,  I wondered why my daughter would drag me up here to walk the five miles across the Straits. As I was handed my certificate of completion for the Bridge […]