Emily Ford’s Historic Hike

“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 in March, 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 first woman to complete all 1,200 miles of the Ice Age Trail in the winter.

March 6, 2021 | Emily and Diggins at the western terminus of the Ice Age Trail, Interstate Park.

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, who’s 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 county roads. The trail loosely follows the edge of most recent glacier, which locked in nearly half of Wisconsin 10,000 years ago. As a result, the trail is pocketed with ice-walled 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 angles are 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, it’s just that 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, snacks, dog treats and on occasion, offer 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 sub-zero 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 stoped en route to talk to and inspire young school aged 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 “Whoo-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, anxiously waiting in anticipation, she and Diggins dropped down trail towards the western plaque. With incredible lightness in their steps, we saw joy and relief pouring 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 are 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, 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?

So, Emily. What’s next?

Resources

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

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