Our 2016 Journey

We recently finished the Hike100NCT challenge which involved hiking 100 miles on the North Country Trail in 2016 in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks.  We (and you know by we, I mean I) signed up for the challenge at the end of 2015 and anxiously awaited January 1, 2016 and the opportunity to start hiking.  We were in the Upper Peninsula, the only place I was familiar with the trail at the time, and I was determined to start as close to January 1 as possible so we could have the whole year to complete the challenge.  So as we drove through Munising on January 2 on our way home from a few days in Copper Harbor, we stopped to get in our first mile.  

 

View of Munising Bay from the North Country Trail

And so it started.  I had big plans for this challenge.  I was going to make more trips North and to the UP this year.  I was going to join group hikes.  I was going to find new and exciting places to hike.  I was going to see more of this State.  Most importantly, I was going to spend some quality time in the great outdoors with the girls discovering that I didn’t ALWAYS have to be North of the Mackinac Bridge to enjoy the beautiful State in which we live.  In many ways I achieved most of my goals and even though I didn’t accomplish them all, I accomplished so much more. 

First order of business was to familiarize myself with where I could find areas closer to me to hike the trail.  The North Country Trail is massive.  It covers 4600 miles from New York State to North Dakota with many of those miles right here in Michigan so I had to be able to find some great places to hike!  Little did I know when we started that Trail's Headquarters is in Lowell- just 45 miles from home and at one point the trail runs within 30 miles of my house- giving me the opportunity to get out on some weekend adventures.  Who knew that the majority of my miles would be completed within an hour and a half of home! 

A familiar site

This challenge forced me to get out on cold winter days and hot summer days, in the rain, snow, and humidity...days when I was at home, not in the Upper Peninsula, and at times when I would not normally have gone.  But we went out in search of blue blazes on those day, in areas that I would never have thought to explore previously.  We had a goal to reach.

And so throughout the seasons and in a variety of areas around our State, this became a very familiar view.  For many miles I walked with three dogs, but there were also times that it was just me, Imke and Maddie and one weekend that I spent on the trail with just Imke.  I loved my time out on the trail with them and they loved their time on the trail too.  So many sites to see and things to sniff! We enjoyed the fresh air and the changing of the seasons and discovering new places.  But most of all, I enjoyed spending time with them and watching their happy little tails wag with joy! Out in the world-exploring small towns, farmland, small cities, beaches, and wilderness with these amazing companions of mine, I learned a lot about myself. I learned about determination and sticking to a goal and believing in myself and knowing that during this silly little challenge I was growing in ways that can't be put into words.  

But as is my nature, I had doubts about if I could really finish.  As we worked on our challenge, we also followed the progress of others who were working toward this goal.  I read stories of day hikes, weekend hikes and week-long hikes where people would finish 20, 30, 40 miles and more at a time.  I read about people who completed their 100 miles in a couple of months.  I compared my progress to theirs and thought "how can I compare to these people?  I am finishing 2, or 3, or 4 miles at a time...I'm never going to do this."  But I stuck with it, reminding myself that 2 miles at a time we could finish and it's not about how fast you get there; it's about sticking with it and working toward the goal and continuing to make progress despite setbacks (like work schedules and knee problems) and enjoying every step of the journey!  So we continued on, making regular progress, and slowly working our way, mile by mile, to 100.  It's amazing what happens when you stop worrying about others and focus on yourself!

We finished our 100 miles with a couple of weeks left in 2016 on a snowy day in Lowell.  It was a great day to be out for a hike.  It was quite a feeling when Imke and I took those last steps, completing our 100 mile journey together.

A couple of weeks ago we received our Certificate of Completion and patch for finishing the #Hike100NCT challenge.  A great reminder that despite my doubts-we had finished!  But even better, in my opinion, was an update given at the end of the year by the NCT Association.  Over 5000 people signed up for this challenge in 2016, but just under 1800 people had actually completed it.  That's less then half.  And I was one of them!  That really put things into perspective for me.  I enjoyed this challenge tremendously, learned some valuable life lessons, and spent some quality time with the dogs. However, most importantly, I proved to myself that I can accomplish great things if I really set my mind to it!

I'm excited that the North Country Trail Association has decided to do offer this challenge again this year.  Bring on the 2017 Challenge!  We're ready!!