Emily Ford’s Historic Hike

By Pam Wright

“I think I might go for a walk tomorrow,”Emily said as she paused to take in her incredible accomplishment. On a mild late-winter day, she was standing at the western terminus of the Ice Age Trail. She had just completed the last mile of a 1,200-mile thru-hike. In the winter.

Emily was the first woman to complete a thru-hike in the winter and she was also the first Black person to do it.

Seeing her post to social media back in December about her intentions on the Ice Age, we began to follow her amazing adventure as she wove through our home state of Wisconsin. With her was her borrowed canine companion, Diggins, whose life consists of thrilling jaunts as a sled dog. We’ve hiked sections of the trail ourselves and have enjoyed seeing parts of our state at a slow pace. Being familiar with the rolling terrain and pot-hole lakes, we were excited to see Emily’s impression as a Minnesota native.

THE ICE AGE TRAIL.

The Ice Age Trail is a 1,200-mile footpath connecting the larger long-distance North Country Scenic Trail. The western terminus perches on the banks of the St. Croix River at Interstate Park. The eastern terminus is situated near the shores of Lake Michigan at Potawatomi State Park. Sandwiched in the middle are miles of forest, lakes, prairies and country roads. The trail loosely follows the edge of the most recent glacier, which locked in nearly half of Wisconsin 10,000 years ago. As a result, the trail is pocketed with icewalled lake plains, crater-like depressions, eskers, drumlins and glacial erratics — any rock nerd’s delight!

FOLLOWING EMILY’S JOURNEY.

As we continued to follow Emily’s updates, a few things began to stand out. While her other outdoor experiences contributed to her success, her mental fortitude and steadfast conviction about what she was doing was what really seemed to shine. She often provided short videos and updates of her progress and as word got around, the angels came out. Trail angels are a familiar sight on famous long-distance trails; here in Wisconsin, not so much. They’re known for their generosity to hikers on trail. Here in Wisconsin, we’re friendly and all, but there are not a lot of thru-hikers in one season and they’re not always easy to find. We witnessed kind trail angels bringing Emily and Diggins encouragement through hot beverages, food, dog treats and, on occasion, offering a warm bed or quiet barn to retreat in.

Because Emily hiked the trail during the winter, it meant that in places, she encountered trail that nobody had been on. Averaging 17-mile days, she’d spend miles punching through knee-deep snow, paying attention to where the next yellow blaze was in a sea of white. For about 10 days she endured subzero temps (-30° actual temp at the worst!) and polar winds along lone country roads. But she kept steady progress forward, buoyed by Diggins and committed to her goal. She stopped en route to talk to and inspire young school-age kids to get out and play.

She likely had some difficult moments and possibly had a few thoughts of quitting — encouraged by thoughts of a warm bed. But she never seemed to mention it and she stayed sure-footed. She was an unmoving ship in a storm — solid and upright with her cheerful “Woo-hoo” sign-off at the end of her videos.

So when we arrived with a few hundred others at the terminus on a spring-like, sunny day, eagerly waiting in anticipation, she and Diggins dropped down trail toward the western plaque. With incredible lightness in their steps, they exuded joy and relief from their bodies. After hugging close friends and family, she turned to address the group. Thanking everyone for being there and surprised anyone came at all, she simply said …

“The outdoors is for everyone.”

A simple statement with a lot of meaning. Inspiring everyone, but especially Black and brown women, Emily is using her voice to shine a light, break more barriers and leave a mark in, “herstory.”

For nearly 70 days she endured all kinds of challenging winter conditions and kept moving forward. She showed strength, wisdom and determination. Months ago, this was probably a quiet goal she set out to do. As her journey flowed into public spaces, it grew, and the excitement of what she was attempting drew others in. Because who doesn’t want to dream with her?

Want to read more of Emily’s journey? You can follow her and her future adventures on Instagram @emilyontrail.

Plan your own hike of the Ice Age Trail and experience the unique beauty of Wisconsin.