North Country Cache: Adventures on a National Scenic Trail

by Joan H. Young

New York to North Dakota, snowbanks or blazing sun, afternoon strolls and backpacking treks, Young serves up an eclectic collection of essays chronicling 2300 miles of hikes on the longest footpath in the United States, the North Country National Scenic Trail. On her quest to hike the entire 4600 miles of the trail she encounters the best and worst of people. Sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, always honest, it's a great read for hikers and non-hikers alike. With color pictures, riveting tales and endless adventures the book is a store of those experiences which have been distilled from memory, savored and saved, and presented for the enjoyment of all. Partway through the book you almost start thinking you could do it too. Never mind 106 degree days in treeless North Dakota prairies, ferocious thick mosquitoes in wet Minnesota, little stream crossings grown into neck-deep swims due to beaver activity, or snowshoe treks through snow deep enough that face-level paint blazes turn up at hikers' knees! There are always enough spectacular mountain-top views, autumn colors, secret lakes, and heart-warming tales of both canine and human goodness to keep the author and her friends walking, and the reader turning pages.

Genres: Outdoors

402 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Joan Young has enjoyed the out-of-doors her entire life, and writes about those experiences. She has recently begun writing more fiction, including a cozy mystery series.

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 has ridden a bicycle from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean in 1986, and completed the North Country National Scenic Trail on August 3, 2010. Her total mileage was 4395 miles. Young is the first woman to hike the entire trail, and the 9th person overall to complete it on foot.

Young also writes a monthly column for the Ludington Daily News called "Get Off the Couch."

Reviews

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read. Joan talks about the hikes she took over 12 years to walk 2300 miles of the North Country Trail. You can read about her trials and tribulations packing the correct gear, getting to the trail, finding walking companions and the trail itself.

I read the book over a number of weeks. I don't know if would be enjoyable to just try to finish it all in a weekend. I think you have to treat it like a hike of your own. Read a couple of chapters at a time and feel like you are on the hike with Joan. You see the things she sees, hear the sounds, feel the bug bites, enjoy the sunsets and spectacular views.

Joan does a wonderful job telling about the plants she encounters, describing the scenery, telling us her mood as she hikes and even giving us a history lesson about the part of the country she is hiking. The stories about her hiking companion, Chips, will make you laugh and cry; and they help us know Joan better and really put the reader into Joan's shoes as she walks.

This isn't a book about hiking, what gear to pack, what to bring or how to eat. This is a living history from a person's experience waking up to birds each morning, getting lost in the forest or in the tall grasses, and seeing America one step at a time. You will be amazed at the spunk and strength of a woman hiking the wilderness; you will be fascinated by the people she meets in diverse places like New York State, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and the Dakotas.

I suggest you get a copy. Order it directly from Joan and I bet if you ask her nicely she will even autograph it for you.

[Diane Bassette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and encouraging for those starting to hike the North Country trail or any trail.