The morning after Christmas is usually reserved for sitting with a warm cup of coffee while perusing newspaper ads for major sales. However, on this day in 1994, many North Dakotans likely stopped leafing through the paper in shock to reread a story about a man from California. He was planning to walk across the state of North Dakota in February. Newspaper readers probably scoffed at the idea. Who in their right mind would want to do that?
The man behind the idea was Jim Eckmann of San Diego. A 54-year-old retired lawyer, Eckmann had spent his first 16 years in Fargo and maintained a lifelong love for North Dakota. According to the North Dakota State Tourism Board, no one had ever walked across the entire state in winter before, not even Lewis and Clark.
Eckmann prepared by walking 50 to 60 miles a week and training with a retired Marine Corps cold-weather instructor from Alaska. Knowing safety was paramount, he carried a cold-weather survival kit, used a cell phone to stay in contact with his wife, Helen, who followed him in a truck, and notified the State Highway Patrol of his plans.
Eckmann began his walk on February 7 at the Montana border, two miles east of Beach. Residents of Beach gave him a celebratory send-off as he started his 370-mile trek. His route followed Old Highway 10, which parallels Interstate 94. He planned to walk about 20 miles a day, Monday through Saturday, with his wife picking him up each evening to stay at a motel.
Eckmann was celebrated along the way. A community potluck was held in his honor in Medora, and a firetruck welcomed him to Hebron. Despite facing wind chills of minus 50 degrees early in the journey, Eckmann stayed on schedule and entered Fargo on February 27, 20 days after he began. He crossed the Red River into Moorhead on the 12th Avenue Bridge with his wife. Both wore caps that read, “Never Quit, Face the Challenge.”
Jim Eckmann died in 2023 at the age of 83, having lived a life of adventure and a deep appreciation for his North Dakota roots.
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
- Associated Press. “Ice Man: California Man Plans Walk Across N.D. in February,” The Fargo Forum, December 26, 1994, pg. A6.
- Author Unknown. “Peripatetic Lawyer Logs 370 Miles,” The Bismarck Tribune, February 20, 1995, pg. 10B.
- Craigo, Kathy. “Man Walking Across State Honored,” The Bismarck Tribune, February 14, 1995, pg. 4B.
- Pates, Mikkel. “Trudging Across the Tundra,” The Fargo Forum, February 28, 1995, pg. B1.
- Richards, Greg. “Walkabout,” The Grand Forks Herald,” December 25, 1994, pg. 1B.
- Salter, Peter. “Fargo, Here He Comes,” The Bismarck Tribune, February 8, 1995, pg. 1A.
