17,866 miles of trail
Holy moly. I wouldn’t have guessed this was even possible.
In about a week, a Massachusetts woman is expected to reach the eastern end of Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail, becoming the first female hiker to finish all 11 national scenic trails in the United States.
Arlette Laan, whose trail name is “Apple Pie,” had about 200 miles left of the 1,200-mile-long trail as of last week. Once she reaches the trail’s eastern terminus in Sturgeon Bay, she’ll make history.
Laan’s said “a lot of stubbornness” has helped her complete this journey, which began in 2003 when she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail.
Appalachian Trail: 2,190 miles
State(s): ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, WV, VA, TN, NC, GA
Arizona Trail 800 miles
State(s): AZ
Continental Divide Trail: 3,100 miles
State(s): MT, ID, WY, CO, NM
Florida Trail: 1,300 miles
State(s): FL
Ice Age Trail: 1,000 miles
State(s): WI
Natchez: 65 miles
State(s): MS
New England Trail: 215 miles
State(s): CT, MA
North Country Trail: 4,600 miles
State(s): MI, MN, ND, NY, OH, PA, VT, WI
Pacific Crest Trail: 2,650 miles
State(s): CA, OR, WA
Pacific Northwest Trail: 1,200 milesState(s): ID, MT, WA
Potomac Heritage Trail: 710 miles
State(s): DC, MD, PA, VA
That is 17,866 miles of trail this woman has walked!
Blimey.
There was a time when I wanted to do that. It never happened. When I had time to travel to the trails, I didn’t have money. Now that I have the money I don’t have the time. And I am pretty sure my body would no longer hold up for any length of time. Since my bout with pneumonia, I get exhausted putting one load of laundry in the washer.
Grandma Gatewood, read the book, she’s my hero.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Gatewood
First woman to do AT (also first any to do it 3x), plus a lot of those other trails mentioned. She started at 67 after raising 11 children on a farm. I wear more rugged kit taking a walk to the store than she did.