We Pick A Trail

As we hike this weekend, Michelle and I decided a trail we want to complete. With our personal lives, jobs, child care and other obligations, we are simply not able to thru-hike any trail. The only way we can hike a full trail is in sections. The distance from our Illinois to the trail also limits our choices making the big three of the Appalachian, Pacific Coast and Continental Divide Trails beyond our the possible.

Yet we want to hike and spend a few days at a time on a trail. My first thought was the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin which is the closet long trail. However, after some research many parts of the trail is not complete or many miles on roads. More research was needed.

After listening to The Trail Show Podcast (a good show, nice folks, serious hikers) a host mentioned The Ozark Trail. The northern trailhead is lonely about six hours away and the trail is about 350 miles long. Another plus is per the trail website shuttles are available for section hiker and being south a longer warm weather season.


We have lots of hiking and gear accumulation before we can hike overnight and longer distances. But at 66 years old, a goal of hiking a complete trail is compelling.  If we can get up to 20 miles a day, on average, The Ozark Trail is doable in about seventeen to twenty days. With Michelle's work vacation days our belief is we could do it over a two year period. Having a goal is invigorating!