A Journey Into Fearless: 2016 The North Country Trail 100 Mile Challenge

#Hike100NCT

Last fall (2015), Chet and I did a bit of hiking along the Manistee River Trail and found ourselves totally enraptured with the experience and the views. I knew we lived in a beautiful area, but I had no idea just how spectacular and accessible it really was.

The MRT-NCT Suspension Bridge

The MRT-NCT Loop map

Once spring rolled around, we went back out the the MRT and attacked it in 2.5-3 mile sections. Out and back, out and back. During spring, we managed to hike all but about 1.5 miles of it in tiny bits.

Out of this, a plan started to form: Let's do an overnight trip, packing everything in, leaving a car on the north end with the kayaks, then drop the gear in the car and kayak back to the south end on the Manistee River. We had already pretty much hiked it all in stages and knew where we could stop for the night, where water was available, and about how many miles we could do in a day.

So, the gear acquisition began.....we both needed real backpacks, and I happened upon some really nice 65 and 70 liter packs at Aldi's of all places for less than $50 each! I have no idea how long they will last or how well they will work, but they had all the features I was looking for at a price I couldn't refuse, and as long as they don't disintegrate during our very first trip, who cares???? We bought a solid-fuel stove and water pan, several bags of "add water and eat" foods, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and a water filter. We already had a tent that weighs 6 lbs (so not awful), and other small things we'd need.

Finally, a date was set - the weekend after his birthday, assuming the weather cooperated, of course.

Alas, Chet has been dealing with back issues for several years, and ended up with a triple by-pass last year instead of the back surgery he was scheduled for. After waiting for almost a year, his latest surgery (C3-C7 laminectomy) was scheduled.....on his birthday, of course!
A month later, he finally had the surgery he was originally supposed to get (L3-L4 caged fusion), so full-on backpacking was definitely out for him for the year.

In my boredom while he recuperated, I did lots of research on trail maps and other places we could day hike and found something really cool - The North Country Trail 100 Mile Challenge!! It's a year-long opportunity to hike miles on the North Country Trail (the longest interstate trail, from New York to North Dakota), and receive a certificate and patch if you log at least 100 miles on certified NCT trails. Since large tracts of the NCT swing within 1/2-1 hour from our house, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do some exploring.

And so, off we went!! My final tally of miles just on the NCT was 173, and I think Chet ended at 120-something. What a great experience!! We loved it so much, we're already signed up and have started on our mileage for 2017!