Minnesota hiker plans to be the first to cover the entire Great Plains Trail

On Valentine’s Day, Luke “Strider” Jordan entered Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas, taking his first step on a 2,100-mile journey that will end in early May in the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge near Kenmare, North Dakota, close to the Canadian border.
When he gets there, he’ll be the first hiker to finish the nascent Great Plains Trail. He’ll spend this weekend passing through the Wildcat Hills and Mitchell Pass on his way to Agate Fossil Beds and points north.

It’s not the energetic 25-year-old’s first extended hike. He got the inspiration for the trip by walking the North Country National Scenic Trail, which stretches approximately 4,600 miles from Crown Point in eastern New York to Lake Sakakawea State Park in central North Dakota. “That was my first major hike, three years ago,” he said. “This is my second big trail adventure.”

The Great Plains Trail doesn’t have the same official designation as the North Country Trail or the better-known Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. But if a teacher in Longmont, Colorado, has his way, it someday will, putting some of western Nebraska’s premier scenic attractions in the national spotlight. Steve Myers hopes to share his enthusiasm for the Great Plains with the rest of America by creating a national trail from border to border along Jordan’s route, utilizing existing trails.

Unlike the other well-marked trails, the Great Plains route is likely to be wide-ranging and generalized, allowing for shortcuts and side trips, and utilizing foot trails, two-tracks and county roads, steering hikers toward highlights rich in scenery and American history.

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