Number of completed Thru-Hikes

[samgriffin4]

How many people have completed the North Country national scenic trail?

[WI_Mike]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Country_Trail

[StriderNCT2013]

So far 11 people have completed the entire trail. Only 3 of those were done in one shot however. There is another thru-hiker out there right now due to finish soon, and at least 3 more will be attempting it in 2013 (including myself). So if all goes according to plan, by 2014 there will have been 15 people that have completed the entire trail.

[Del Q]

I followed Nimblewill Nomad's journaling................interesting trail.

Wonder how well it is marked at this point.

[Cro-Mag]

Just in case anyone would like to read Nimblewill Nomad's journal. He also has a book available, but I think it is currently sold out.

http://www.nimblewillnomad.com/odyssey_2009.htm

[isawtman]

Going back to your original question: How many through hikes, the answer is three.

They would be Ed Talone, Andrew Skurka and Eb Eberhardt (aka Nimblewill Nomad)
The rest of the 8 people who completed the NCT did it in a Section Hiking fashion,
doing different sections every year for several years. Whereas a Through Hiker
completes the trail all in one hike, although the hike could be broken up a little bit.
For instance when someone on the AT goes from Georgia to Maryland, then if it's late
in the year, they go from Maine to Maryland, to avoid the colder weather later in
the year in Maine. That's still considered a Through Hike, even though it's broken
up a little bit.

Of the three people who have through hiked the NCT, Andrew Skurka is the
only person doing it in a Unassisted Fashion. Ed Talone had a van following
him for much of the trail because of the medical condition of his hiking partner.
Nimblewill had a van following him during the early parts of his hike in
North Dakota.

There is still yet to be a female complete the trail in a through hiking fashion.

[stranger]

3 'reported' thru-hikes, a friend of mine thru-hiked back in the mid-late 90's, also put up some big numbers like AT and PCT in the same year, but wasn't one to report things.

[isawtman]

hey stranger, if your friend wasn't one to report things, then don't report it.

[Colter]

3 'reported' thru-hikes, a friend of mine thru-hiked back in the mid-late 90's, also put up some big numbers like AT and PCT in the same year, but wasn't one to report things.

So your friend hiked the 4,600 miles of the North Country Trail AND "some big numbers like the AT and PCT" all in the same year???

[stranger]

Sorry...he hiked the AT and PCT in the same year, the North Country Trail was a different year.

I'm not reporting it, I'm mentioning that it has been hiked by more people than reported.

[stranger]

Looks like Strider is nearly done!!! Trip report please! Congratulations in advance, so awesome !!

[partly cloudy]

Strider​ did finish the NCT in early/mid October. He also did the proposed Vt. route that connects the NCT to the Long Trail. 4700 miles is a fantastic feat with fantastic feet. ( play on words,, ha ha )

[SoulSista]

The North Country Trail will be easier to hike once they get some of the sections finished in Minnesota and North Dakota. I hope they make the Arrowhead reroute official- it would definitely help the situation out. The land they want to use for the trail is little more than marsh, which wouldn't be much fun for a backpacker. Best of luck to all who attempt this tremendous feat. I also hear they want to extend it to make it one long trail across the northern tier of the US. I'd love to hike that when it's a bit closer to being finished.

[StriderNCT2013]

Thanks stranger. I officially completed the trail on October 13, 2013 and reached Maine Junction, VT on October 17. Overall the trip was positive. I had a rough start with a ridiculously long winter in ND and MN, followed in MI by the worst mosquitoes I have ever encountered in my life, and poorly marked/maintained trail in OH that was really frustrating. The most dangerous thing I ever encountered was heat exhaustion during some pretty intense heat waves. Trail magic was unbelievable. Great people to help out all along the trail. Overall the trail is very well marked and well maintained, the only place that was difficult to navigate was the Buckeye Trail portion of the NCT in OH. No official route through the Adirondacks yet so I took the NPT and then went into the High Peaks over Mt. Marcy and finished at Crown Point the next day. To connect to the AT in Vermont I used the Snake Mountain trails, the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM), roadwalks via VT-125 to the LT and then down to Maine Junction. Overall a fantastic hike on a fantastic trail. The NCT should NOT be overlooked if considering a thru-hike. It is challenging, but the reward is worth it.
-Strider

[StriderNCT2013]

Also if anyone is interested, you can see photos and journals from my hike at stridernct.com Hiking 25 miles a day it was very hard to keep up writing as the days got longer. Eventually I had to stop journaling and focus on the hike. Since I have been back however I have gone back and starting writing the journals I never finished. I'm currently about 1/3 of the way done, and eventually it will be turned into a book and published. Happy Trails.
-Strider

[Son Driven]

Something to ponder, East bound or West bound? 4,600 miles, across some very frigid country. A through hike would require some winter hiking. Eastbound would make more sense. Since one could pull winter gear on a sled through the flat lands of ND & MN prior to needing to put your pack on for the more hilly superior trail. Quite a bit of this trail is on flat land, making for some big mileage days. The wind across the prairie lands of ND & MN is relentlessly brutal.