75-Year-Old Woman Finishes 4,800 Mile Hike for the Second Time

Proving that age is just a number, a 75-year-old woman is setting new records after hiking the North Country National Scenic Trail for the second time.

Joan Young completed the route on June 18 of this year, marking the second time she made the massive trek. She first finished the hike in 2010, becoming the first woman to do so.

The 4,800-mile trail runs from North Dakota to Vermont, crossing through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The trail goes through forests, farmland and small communities on the way. The path is longer than well-known hikes like the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.

Young lives in Michigan and says she has wanted to hike the trail again since she originally completed it. She got back on the trail on December 1, 2021. At 75-years-old, she knew this trip would be different and hiked around 15 miles a day, with a travel trailer meeting her at the end of each day.

Young blogged daily and shared the people, plants and wildlife she saw along the nearly 19-month journey.

“We are pretty sure that I am the oldest person at the time of completion to hike the NCT. I may be the first person to do it twice,” says Young on her blog after completing the trail. “This has not been verified as there is another person who did at least large portions of it twice. None of these ‘records’ is why I hiked it again. I really just wanted to see how much things had changed and to share it day by day with people.”

Young continues to write her blog and several books, some focusing on the trail she’s conquered twice.

Source: https://outdoors.com/75-year-old-woman-finishes-4800-mile-hike-for-the-second-time/