The highlight of our trip into northwestern North Dakota was hiking from the very western end of the North Country National Scenic Trail, which comes out at Lake Sakakawea — or starts there, depending on your point of view.  (Left) Mick Hawkins is setting out on the Trail heading toward the impressively scenic Lake Sakakawea, which was formed by damming and flooding this section of the Missouri River.  (Right) Al Larmann leads the way along this section of North Dakota's typically prairie trail, often grassy and out in the open, unlike the old-forested wilderness trail members from such states as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania might be more used to.  Another thing we weren't used to was the hail storm we ran into along the way.  Hiking in hail was a first for pretty much all of us, including North Country National Scenic Trail NPS Superintendent Tom Gilbert.  (Al Larmann, by the way, from Central New York Chapter, was deservedly this year's recipient of NCTA's Lifetime Achievement Award.)