New York to North Dakota, snowbanks or blazing sun, afternoon strolls and backpacking treks, Joan Young serves up an eclectic collection of essays chronicling 2300 miles of hikes on the longest footpath in the United States, the North Country National Scenic Trail.

North Country Cache: Adventures on a National Scenic Trail is the first book by a hiker of that trail.  The book has received an Honorable Mention in the 2005 Independent Publishers award contest in the category: Regional, Great Lakes, Non-Fiction.  The NCT is a 4600-mile footpath which stretches across seven states from New York to North Dakota.

On her quest to hike the entire trail she encounters the best and worst of people. Sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, always honest, it's a great read for hikers and non-hikers alike. With color pictures, riveting tales and endless adventures the book is a store of those experiences which have been distilled from memory, savored and saved, and presented for the enjoyment of all. Partway through the book you almost start thinking you could do it too.

Never mind 106 degree days in treeless North Dakota prairies, ferocious thick mosquitoes in wet Minnesota, little stream crossings grown into neck-deep beaver channels, or snowshoe treks through deep, white, thigh-throbbing blankets! There are always enough spectacular mountain-top views, autumn colors, secret lakes, and heart-warming tales of both canine and human goodness to keep the author and her friends walking, and the reader turning pages.

She continues to hike, on a quest to complete the entire trail.  Her expected completion date is July 2010.

"...a great read for hikers: color pictures, riveting tales, and endless adventures, all told from the hiking experiences of a mere mortal (as opposed to thirty-mile-a-day long-legged youngsters). Partway through the book, you almost start thinking you could do it, too."

"Joan Young's humor, insight and enthusisam make North Country Cache a thoroughly satisfying journey. She is an excellent writer and a welcome traveling companion."