Emily Ford (outdoorswoman)
Emily Ford (born c. 1993)[1][2] is an American dog musher, long-distance hiker, and gardener.
Career
[edit]Ford grew up in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.[2] Ford developed a love for the outdoors as a child, and spent time at her grandparent's farm in Jacobson, Minnesota.[2][3] After graduating college, Ford moved to Duluth, Minnesota.[2][4] In summer, she is head gardener at Glensheen Historic Estate in Duluth and is based in Willow, Alaska in winter.[2][5]
Ford began long-distance hiking by completing the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota.[6] Over the winter of 2020–21, Ford became the 78th person to thru-hike the Wisconsin Ice Age Trail, and the second person (and first woman) to do it in winter.[2] She was accompanied on the 69-day, 1135-mile hike by a sled dog, Diggins; the pair averaged 16.5 miles per day.[7][8] The journey attracted media and social media attention.[8][9][10] It was the subject of a short documentary called Breaking Trail produced by a Minneapolis company; the film premiered at Banff Mountain Film Festival in fall 2021.[10] In the winter of 2022, Ford (with Diggins) journeyed 28 days by ski along the Minnesota-Canada border through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, beginning in Crane Lake and finishing early near Grand Marais due to an impassable Pigeon River.[11]
Ford subsequently became interested in dogsled racing and was mentored by Paul Schurke of Wintergreen dogsled center in Ely, Minnesota.[5] In early 2024, she competed in the Copper Basin 300 and finished 21st of 35; she subsequently competed in the Kobuk 440 race and qualified for the 2025 Iditarod.[4][12]
References
[edit]- ^ Myers, John (2024-06-19). "Next up for Duluth's Emily Ford: Iditarod sled dog race". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ a b c d e f Timmons, Bob (22 February 2025). "Dogged pursuit: Duluth's Emily Ford faces her toughest winter adventure yet — Alaska's famed Iditarod". Minnesota Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (2021-05-04). "Emily Ford Hiked 1,200 Miles in the Dead of Winter". Outside (magazine). Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ a b Myers, John (2024-01-16). "Emily Ford finishes Copper Basin 300 sled dog race". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ a b Timmons, Bob (2021-11-19). "Spotlight still follows Minnesota woman months after her winter hiking adventure". Minnesota Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ Lastoe, Stacey (2021-03-16). "Meet the First Woman to Complete Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail in the Winter". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on 2024-10-05. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ Myers, John (2021-03-06). "They did it! Emily Ford, Diggins finish 1,136-mile trek across Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ a b Golden, Hallie (2021-03-08). "Avid Black hiker hopes to 'break down stereotypes' with 1,200-mile trek". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ McCoy, Mary Kate (2021-02-24). "With A Passion For The Outdoors, Emily Ford Aims To Complete Winter Thru-Hike Of Ice Age Trail". Wisconsin Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ a b Lewis, Chelsey. "Film about Emily Ford's Ice Age Trail winter thru-hike premieres at BANFF festival, now streaming for a limited time". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ Myers, John (2022-03-10). "Emily Ford ends ski trek early due to open water". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
- ^ Kopp, Cara (2024-08-22). "Emily On Trail: Duluth woman prepares to head to the 2025 Iditarod". Northern News Now. Archived from the original on 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
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