Joan Young poses at Maine Junction, the North Country National Scenic Trail’s eastern terminus in Vermont. Photo courtesy of Joan Young.
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The public is invited to a free program on Tuesday, July 12th at Brockopp Brewing from 6-7:30pm hosted by the North Country Trail Association’s Sheyenne River Valley (SRV) Chapter that will feature current North Country National Scenic Trail thru-hiker and Michigan author Joan Young.
Joan’s program will introduce the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT for short), talk about her current thru-hike attempt, cover why she loves hiking in North Dakota, and provide a chance for people to ask questions. Cookies and lemonade will be available in addition to adult beverages from Brockopp.
Joan H. Young, 74 of Scottville, Michigan, has enjoyed the out-of-doors her entire life. Highlights of her outdoor adventures include Girl Scouting, which provided yearly training in camp skills, and the opportunity to engage in a 10-day canoe trip, and numerous short backpacking excursions. She was selected to attend the 1965 Senior Scout Roundup in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, an international event to which 10,000 girls were invited. She rode a bicycle from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean in 1986, and completed the 4400-mile North Country National Scenic Trail on August 3, 2010.
Young is the first woman to hike the entire trail, and the ninth person overall to complete it on foot. Her books North Country Cache and North Country Quest recount stories of her adventure. She writes an award-winning outdoor column for Mason County Press in Michigan. She has recently begun writing more fiction, including short stories, mysteries and mysteries for children.
Additionally, SRV Chapter volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about hiking on the NCT in the area (Lake Ashtabula to the Sheyenne State Forest by Fort Ransom) and volunteer opportunities. North Country Trail Association volunteers are the lifeblood of the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) – the nation’s longest hiking trail which extends 4,800-miles from Lake Sakakawea State Park east all the way to the Appalachian Trail in Vermont.
People may learn more about the NCT in North Dakota at https://northcountrytrail.org/north-dakota/.
More information on the event may be found online at www.facebook.com/NCTinND or https://www.meetup.com/NCThikersinND/ or by contacting Matthew Davis at (701) 388-1883 / davis@northcountrytrail.org.