Speakers

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Provided by Debbie Fox-Schroeder

Hello, I'm Melanie Radzicki McManus.

I'm a freelance writer whose passion is exploring the world on foot. I've hiked Iceland's Laugavegur Trail, walked Spain's Vía de la Plata (Camino de Santiago), climbed Mt. Teide in the Canary Islands and completed New Zealand's Tongariro Crossing.

After setting the women's fastpacking record on America's Ice Age Trail, then breaking my own record two years later, I wrote Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2017). When it debuted, Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, put it tops on her reading list. 

Now, my goal is to hike America's 10 other National Scenic Trails. To date I've added the New England Trail and Florida Trail to my thru-hike list, plus thru-biked the Natchez Trace Parkway (only about 60 of the Natchez Trace's 400+ miles of hiking trails have been completed). I've also explored 600 miles of the 4,600-mile North Country Trail.

Come follow along on my adventures!

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