75-year-old Michigan woman hikes entire 8-state trail

SCOTVILLE, Mich. (TND) — A 75-year-old Michigan woman recently completed her hike on the 4,800-mile North Country National Scenic Trail.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough on its own, this was the second time Joan Young accomplished the feat.

The trail winds through eight states, stretching from North Dakota to Vermont.

Young completed her first trek in 2010. That one she finished in segments over a 20-year period, according to MLive.com.

This time, she finished the entire trail in just 18 months and 18 days.

Young told Michigan TV station WZZM that some days on the trail are great, and others are awful.

“You just have to decide that you’re not going to give up,” she said.

Young set out on her journey in December 2021. She originally hoped to finish the North Country trail in a year, according to MLive.com. But she was forced to stop for several months after encountering heavy snow in her home state.

Young crossed the finish line in June, helped along the way by friends and family.

North Country trail Superintendent Chris Loudenslager told MLive.com that Young’s accomplishment “is in a category all by itself.”

“The whole notion that someone wanted to do it a second time, I think that’s unprecedented,” he said.

See more on Young’s blog here.