After four years ('92 - '95), of four spring and summers, my wayfaring of
the North Country Trail are over. In June, I arrived at the final trail
marker, at Lake Sakakawea State Park, North Dakota.
In May '95, after attending a Student Conservation Association trail
construction workshop, at Camp Forest (near Rib Lake, WI), I caught a ride
to Minneapolis, a bus to Duluth, to get back on the NCNST again. I didn't
hike the proposed Arrowhead route, rather generally following the original
NPS route. South, on the Willard Munger Trail to Carlton, then hiking
west. Through parts of the Fond Dulac, Savanna, and Hill River State
Forests, to the east trailhead of the Chippewa National Forest.
The seventy miles of NCT in the Chippewa was a pleasant relief from mainly
road walking up to it's start. When hiking this forest, take note of the
unique NCT trail markers. The trail is groomed, the terrain rolls along,
with no steep climbs or descents. There are water pumps on the trail.
Only had one day of steady rain. Stopping off in Longville, I tanked up
on goodies, did laundry and made phone calls.
I started following blue diamond trail markers in the Shingobee Recreation
Area of the Chippewa. Think I took a wrong turn, for, getting to highway
34, no NCT signs were present on either side. It was very hot, and I
didn't spend anytime looking for signs. A forest road was across the
highway, I followed it awhile, until it veered off eastward. From that
point, I struck off cross country, bearing northwest, to intersect the
Heartland State Bike Trail. Getting to it, and figuring I was about a
mile east of where the NCT should cross it, turned left. Following the
bike trail west, I found the NCT again.
At the end of the trail in the Chippewa, forest roads lead me through the
Paul Bunyan State Forest. The forest's West Gulch trail (really forest
dirt road) has several campsites, by small lakes, with springs, along it.
Leaving the forest on highway 91, to Highway 200, walking it through the
town of Lake George, to Itasca State Park, the headwaters source of the
mighty Mississippi River.
The NCNST in Itasca State Park was dedicated last year, during the NCTA
annual meeting, held nearby. In the park, the NCT is overlaid on several
of the park's existing trails. All are connected, groomed, and follow
gently rolling hills. Just west of Hernando De Soto Lake, the NCT stops.
If there are ribbon markers, to the direction the trail will take, I lost
them. Went cross country for several hours, to intercept a road on the
west side of the park, or Highway 113, on the south boundary. I'd go west
for about half a mile, then south for the same. Had to detour around
thick bramble patches, bogs, ponds, and cross beaver dams. Finally reached
a west road, only walking south on it for a quarter mile, to 113. There's
no more certified NCT sections in Minnesota after this park.
NCTA Vice President Odell Bjerkness lives off 113, at Bad Medicine Lake.
I'd met him at the SCA trail workshop. He'd mailed a care package to Lake
George for me, and said stop by when I reached his home. Alias, it was not
to be, as having called him from the park, got his answering machine.
Knowing he wasn't there, I left a note in his mailbox at the road. Saw
his name on an Adopt - A - Highway sign. Bad Medicine is a beautiful lake.
I made good use of the water pump there.
For the rest of Minnesota, continued with backroads, even through parts of
White Earth State Forest. Arriving at Detroit Lakes, I opted to head for
Fargo, North Dakota.
The reason for going to Fargo was to locate the irrigation diversion
project. I wanted to cut south on it, to the Sheyenne National Grassland.
However, I was unprepared to do so. I had maps for the Lonetree WMA, the
New Rockford and McClusky canals. But, around Fargo, nobody knew about it
(city folk). I did cross the Sheyenne River there, ending up walking
county roads to the grassland.
The NCT post markers in the grassland make following the trail a cinch.
Being there's no cut trail, hiking for two days in downpours, through the
grasses, kept my feet quite wet. I only found three of the windmills
pumping water. The other windmills were broken. Startling me, by flying
out almost beneath my legs, I saw several prairie chickens. I've heard
this grassland might be one of the public lands Congress wants to sell.
If so, what will be the effect to the NCT? We must protect it. For this
grassland is a sure NCT route in that part of North Dakota.
Had my first encounter with the North Dakota law, walking the road to
Lisbon. I'd found a tree to sit under to take a break. Hey! Who says
there's no shade in North Dakota? I managed to find four or five shady
spots! Anyway, a sheriff deputy pulls up, and asks me if I'm ok, then
for ID. He said someone had called on a cellular car phone, saying there
was a sick hitchhiker laying by the road! Well, at least somebody cared.
Told him, I was hiking the NCT, heading for Fort Ransom State Park. He
checked me out, giving me about a four mile lift, to the valley road
heading north from Lisbon.
That valley road stretches from Lisbon to Valley City. I wish all the
valley had NCNST markers. Not just those signs for a mile in the Sheyenne
State Forest, and a few miles in Fort Ransom State Park. For North Dakota,
even for the whole NCT, the road lays in spectacular scenery.
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National Geographic has listed these forty miles as one of the 200
most scenic drives in the United States. Maybe, someday, the snowmobile trail in this
valley could also be NCT marked. Don't know why its there, but took a
picture of a Viking statue, perched atop a hill, at the town of Fort
Ransom. The valley was an enchantment to my hike, though most was on
its road.
At Valley City, from beneath the Hi-Line Bridge, I headed for twenty-two
mile long Lake Ashtabula. That bridge is one of the nation's longest and
highest single track train bridges.
Ask people their first thought of North Dakota, most will say cold. Well,
that state can be very hot! Hiking all the open road mileage, between
NCNST sections, in both states, had an effete affect on me, by the time I
reached Baldhill Dam. Think I "saw the elephant" once. Arriving at the
campground, and finding it closed, because of dam reconstruction, didn't
help my morale. Continuing trudging further north, I reached the COE
Ashtabula Crossing campground. It turned out to be my utopia. Peaceful,
shady, a beach, hot showers, with the Ashtabula Crossing Resort 500 yards
across the road. That stop was my pick-me-up to resume hiking, not to
just trudge along.
North of the lake, a second brush with the law. Again, involving tree
shade. The tree was about 200 yards off the road, a quarter mile from a
house, and on private property. I guess the land owners thought I was up
to something. They called Sheriff Paul Hendrickson, of Griggs County. He
checked me out. When I said North Country Trail, he gave me a short ride
to the city camp park at Cooperstown. Even gave me a cloth Griggs County
Sheriff badge! He knew about the NCT, because he had stopped two hikers on the road last
year, Ed Talone and Sue Lockwood. Her brother was following them in a van, very slow, and
people wanted to know what was going on.
These incidents persuaded me to take a direct route on county roads, west
to the New Rockford Canal. For once on it, there would only be thirty
miles of roadwalk left to trails end. Those road miles being from the end
of the McClusky Canal, to Lake Sakakawea State Park.
Backpacking these canals was akin to my hike across the Mojave Desert
section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Replete with the heat, the winds,
endless horizons, and hard to find good water. Together, though, the
distance they cover, the solitude along them, to me, was a respite from
all that highway walking. As in the Mojave, started hiking at sunrise,
slacking off my pace from 12 - 3 P.M., then picking it up again, making
camp at sunset.
Between the canals is the Lonetree Wildlife Management Area. Lonetree is
the last certified section of the NCNST, presently, in North Dakota. Like
the Sheyenne Grassland, there's no cut trail, just follow the posts for
thirty miles. A map is necessary, as the posts are far apart. Crossing
dips or hills, in high grass, you easily lose sight of the last marker,
and finding it difficult to spot the next. The campgrounds have good water
pumps. The Coal Mine, and Sheyenne Lakes are refreshing. The vista from
the ridge above Sheyenne River is beautiful. Two fast moving thunderstorms,
from the west, besieged me there. North Dakota was very wet in '95, all
the farmers were planting their crops late because of the rains. Lonetree
is a pleasant hike, breaking up the monotony of flat canal walking.
Did have several good occurrences along the McClusky Canal. I met Mr.
Bob Oswald, the superintendent of both canals. We had a conversation about
the NCNST, and the canals. There no NCT markers along the canals, should
there be? My reasoning: The canals have plenty of buffer space on both
sides. If the markers are placed in the buffer zone, they would act as
they do in the Sheyenne Grassland and the Lonetree WMA. I met Ron and Sue
Wardner, Sady, Dave, and Kyle, their kids. The Wardners own the last farm
on the canal. Sue, spotting me hiking, invited me to their home. She made
hamburgers on the grill, and a couple of neighbors came over. We talked
about farming and hiking. They let me pitch my tent in their yard, take
a shower, and fed me breakfast the next morning!
The last thirty miles of my hike were uneventful, except the crossing of
Garrision Dam, knowing the western terminus of the trail was within two
miles. Reaching the entrance booth to the park, I asked the attendant to
contact the head ranger, needing to know where the last NCT marker was.
The logo was placed there by Ed Talone and Sue Lockwood, upon completing
their thru-hike last year. Met head Ranger Dave Lyebie, we took some
photos and chatted awhile. Reaching that marker was my highlight of this
hike, finally becoming an end-to-ender of the North Country National
Scenic Trail.
My next day's hike was anti-climactic, having to road hike back twenty
miles, to Underwood, there catching a bus to Bismarck, there leaving for
home. One small consultation, that highway, 200, is part of the Lewis and
Clark National Historic Trail, now I've hiked part of it.
Now that the NCNST, along with the ANST, FNST, and PCNST, are under my
boots, I've accomplished half my ultimate backpacking goal. That desire?
To end-to-end all eight national scenic trails. After hot, and flat
prairied North Dakota, for '96, I'm thinking of the cool, high alpine meadows
along the CDNST.................The End
Check out the NCTA web site under National Clubs and Trails!
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