Posted on 03/21/2021 5:54:29 PM PDT by SJackson
Emily Ford completed her 10-week thru-hike on March 6, with help from canine companion Diggins.
Throughout her icy, 10-week, 1,135-mile trek, Emily Ford found comfort in one thing: sharing king-sized Rice Krispie treats with Diggins, her Alaskan Husky companion on Wisconsin’s formidable Ice Age Trail.
The 28-year-old Ford completed the trail on March 6, making history as only the second person on record to complete the thru-hike in winter. Ford, who is Black, is the first person of color to achieve this milestone, but she’s modest in speaking of her accomplishment: “There’s tons of other people doing this also, so it’s not like I’m a revolutionary person or anything like that.”
Diggins, Ford's canine companion Courtesy Emily Ford The Minnesota native grew up in a suburb of the Twin Cities and now lives in Duluth with her partner Flo and their dog Zulu. Ford hikes with Zulu in warmer weather, but knew he couldn’t handle a trek of this distance in below-freezing temperatures. So when someone suggested she post in a mushers (sled dogs) group on Facebook about borrowing one, she thought it was a great suggestion—a trail buddy to keep her company and also to help with the physical load.
Ford began contemplating the trek in the summer of 2019, asking a volleyball teammate for suggestions for winter hikes that could be done in a couple months. Ford says that when “2020 exploded and exploded again,” especially with so many prominent conversations over social justice, she came to the realization that she could use hiking to contribute in a meaningful way.
“I know many, many POC who don’t want to be alone outside, especially in the dark, especially in the rural Midwest, and I wanted to help open the door,” says Ford, who is a professional gardener with time off in the winter. Since she started sharing her journey on social media—she only signed up for an Instagram account late last year—Ford says she’s heard from so many underrepresented groups, such as people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ communities. “I check a lot of boxes, man.”
She wasn’t new to long hikes—she had previously completed Minnesota's 300-mile Superior Hiking Trail—or winter camping and did not view the cold climate, in the Midwest no less, as a particular hardship. Though Ford loves the stillness and quiet of winter, she made sure to listen to her body—and sought help from others when temperatures dropped to 37 degrees below freezing. For several nights she took respite in the homes of strangers, who she calls “trail angels.”
Unlike other thru-hikes she’s done, Ford didn’t really have a trail family, a group of hikers that meets and hikes together, on the Ice Age Trail; she doesn’t believe there were any other overnight hikers ahead or behind her. As word of Ford’s endeavor got out, however, people showed up along the way to take pictures and proffer snacks. One content studio, Credo Nonfiction, ended up hanging with Ford and Diggins on trail, filming them for a few days. The film is in post-production.
At times, when the weather dipped below freezing, Ford sought shelter in others' homes. Courtesy Emily Ford There were challenges along the way, including unfathomably cold temperatures and concerns over fuel for cooking, but Ford says she never once considered stopping short. “I was pretty committed to finishing the trail,” Ford says, adding that she planned to complete her goal no matter how long it took.
No matter how lonely, too. In spite of being accustomed to trekking alone (canine companionship notwithstanding), Ford admits she frequently felt isolated on the trail. “Most people are not designed to be alone all the time,” she says. Before this, Ford’s longest thru-hike was 300-odd miles on the Superior Hiking Trail, which whet her appetite for long-distance hiking. Going solo on the Ice Age Trail was Ford showing others, especially others who are scared of being alone, outside, in the dark, in rural areas, that it’s safe.
Her overall message, in this and future potentially record-setting hikes? “You can do it too.”
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Proving once again that America is racist.
how can you “beat loneliness” when you have a dog with you? Of course we get it, she’s black! Conde Nast and their stupid white guilt..
16 miles a day in the winter is pretty good ... she completed something admirable ....
*I'm going out for a pack of smokes. Don't wait up.
““I know many, many POC who don’t want to be alone outside, especially in the dark,” -— Trying walking alone, while white, in a city.
Capital B.
Her enemy was the “white” snow.
Great post, thanks.
👍😉
I think she is just referring to the common difference between people who grew up in urban areas and people who grew up in rural areas. I have met young men from urban areas who are uncomfortable the first time they are camping in a forest at night. I have also met plenty of "people of color" from rural areas who are totally comfortable in places where I was looking around constantly at the alligators. It has nothing to do with race, just what you are familiar with.
I read a sign warning of mountain lions at a campground once. It wasn't a relaxing night for me, but the locals seemed unfazed.
Everything else said is just clutter, the hike, the dog, the weather, etc.
*Shame On You*
THIS is the route she took. In WINTER. Alone, with her dog.
WTF have YOU done lately, other than criticize others? I'm guessing NOT THIS!
Most people shy away from doing difficult things. I commend her for her endurance and not giving up.
Congratulations Emily.
Quite a feat.
Started off intriguing and fascinating and me wanting to read about this adventure and THEN had to be slapped with the race label and I simply trashed it and moved on. It is a shame that it has come to this.
No, no I can't.......
I like that she was able to use other people’s homes when it got really cold. In terms of her larger goal of race relations - I bet that led to some nice things. I’m guessing that many/most of the homes were white folks in rural Wisconsin.
I was reading an article about a “self-supported” hike in the Northwest along the Cascades. I don’t recall how long it takes. (Ok- had to look it up, the record is 71 days, 38 miles per day) The article was about some gal that attempted it but failed recently. (But she’ll try again with better preparation).
But by “self-supported” they can’t pick berries to eat or other wildlife, no help from others, not even a drink of water from somebody. Hmm. I’m guessing that they are allowed to drink water from a creek? Pretty impossible to carry 71 days of water on you!
I’ve always looked at https://backpackerverse.com/appalachian-trail/
I don’t think I could have ever have done a winter one like Emily, I pretty much only like snow in photographs.
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