'Hike Every Mile' June 3

The North Country Trail is among the most scenic paths in America, and in two weeks’ time a hiking event is being held to celebrate its beauty while attempting to accomplish an ambitious goal.

On Saturday, June 3 – National Trails Day – the Dakota Prairie Chapter (DPC) of the North Country Trail Association is sponsoring an event called Hike Every Mile – North Dakota.

The plan is for hikers to come together and combine to hike the trail’s entire route through North Dakota in a single day.

The DPC is hoping hundreds of hikers will participate in the event, which will cover 475 miles from where the trail crosses into North Dakota at Fort Abercrombie, to where it ends at Lake Sakakawea.

“We hope to have hundreds of people hiking on the (North Country Trail) with that goal in mind,” said Ranae Gruchalla, the committee chair for Hike Every Mile – North Dakota. “Trekkers can hike one mile or 20-plus miles; it’s your choice. We want to involve as many folks as possible to participate in this endeavor!”

The North Country Trail is the longest and northern-most of 11 national scenic trails in the country, spanning over 4,800 miles from Vermont to North Dakota.

The trail wanders through Eddy County, entering alongside the James River in Pleasant Prairie Township before cutting through New Rockford from the south and exiting to the north on 13th Street North, and eventually crosses into neighboring Wells County still alongside the James River.

The event is bringing hikers to North Dakota from all over the country. Patty Hilbert, the local contact for the DPC, told the Transcript that she’s been in touch with four individuals from the state of Washington who have volunteered to cover a stretch of the trail nearby.

A map of the trail can be found online at northcountrytrail.org.

Hilbert would like to see a few local hikers – or simply anyone interested in a Saturday walk – participate in the ambitious event, and she encouraged anyone interested to contact her at (701) 302-0572.

Gruchalla said those who complete a segment of the trail should contact Dakota Prairie Chapter President, Jack Norland, at (701) 205-5566, who will then light up that segment on an interactive map.

People will be able to view the interactive map on their smartphone or computer, where they’ll be able to see each segment turn from green to blue as completed.

“By midnight our goal is to have all the segments completed and the entire trail on the map lit up in blaze blue by hundreds of hikers,” said Gruchalla.

There will also be social gatherings at Abercrombie, Fort Ransom State Park, New Rockford and Harvey.

The social in New Rockford will begin at 5 p.m. on June 3 at the gazebo in Centennial Park.

For additional information about Hike Every Mile – North Dakota, go online to http://www.meetup.com/NCThikersinND/, or go to northcountrytrail.org. There’s also a Facebook event set up at http://www.facebook.com/evevts/437278495026196.

You can sign up by contacting Hilbert or by getting in touch with Rennae Gruchalla at [email protected], or at (701) 866-2685.