Tuesday, August 6, 2019, at 7:00 p.m.
Melanie McManus, author of Thousand Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail, will appear at the Boulder Junction Public Library on August 6, 2019, at 7:00 p.m.
In thirty-six thrilling days, Melanie Radzicki McManus hiked 1,100 miles around Wisconsin, landing her in the elite group of Ice Age Trail thru-hikers known as the Thousand-Milers. In prose that’s alternately harrowing and humorous, Thousand-Miler takes you with her on an “into-the-wild” experience through Wisconsin’s forests, prairies, wetlands, farms, and far-flung small towns.
Follow along as she worries about wildlife encounters, wonders if her injured feet will ever recover, and searches for an elusive fellow hiker known as Papa Bear. Woven throughout her account are details of the history of the still-developing Ice Age Trail—one of just eleven National Scenic Trails—and helpful insight and strategies for undertaking a successful thru-hike.
Melanie Radzicki McManus has been a news reporter at a Green Bay radio station, a press secretary at the Wisconsin State Capitol, and editor of two local publications. Since 1994, McManus has worked as a freelance writer and editor, specializing in travel and fitness. She has won numerous awards for her writing, most notably the prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold and Grand Awards for travel journalism. Melanie Radzicki McManus has hiked more than 6,000 miles over the last decade in locales around the globe. She is currently in the midst of hiking all 11 of America’s National Scenic Trails. To date she has completed the Florida Trail (1,200 miles), the Ice Age Trail (1,100 miles – twice!)and the New England Trail (215 miles). She has also completed some 600 miles of the North Country Trail.