North Country Cache – Adventures on a National Scenic Trail
New York to North Dakota, snowbanks or blazing sun, afternoon strolls and backpacking treks, Young serves up an eclectic collection of essays chronicling 2,300 miles of hikes on the longest footpath in the United States, the North Country National Scenic Trail.
On her quest to hike the entire 4,600 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.
About Joan H. Young (Traverse City, Michigan Author)
Joan Young has enjoyed the out-of-doors her entire life. 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.
In 2005, North Country Cache was released for the 25th Anniversary of the North Country Trail. Since then, more and more of her time has been spent writing. Young now also writes the Anastasia Raven Mysteries, and the Dubois Files children's mystery series.
She also writes a monthly column for the Ludington Daily News called "Get Off the Couch."
