Chippewa Valley Times

Gail Francis, the strategic director of RE-AMP, will be the featured speaker at the upcoming Thursdays at the U presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Barron County. She will be presenting “Bliss(ters): Hiking Mexico to Canada” on April 18, where she will share her experience of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

According to Francis, the Pacific Crest Trail is a breathtaking 2,700-mile path that traverses from Mexico to Canada, taking hikers through diverse landscapes from deserts to mountains. Francis embarked on this journey just before her 40th birthday and will be sharing insights on what it took to complete the hike and the lessons that can be learned from it.

In addition to her firsthand account, Francis will be accompanied by slides during her presentation, and there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions. She is also the author of “Bliss(ters): How I Walked from Mexico to Canada One Summer” and currently resides in Duluth, Minnesota.

The Thursdays at the U series, which is free and open to the public, is made possible by the UW-Eau Claire – Barron County Foundation. The event will take place at the Blue Hills Lecture Hall in Ritzinger Hall and will also be livestreamed for remote viewing.

For those interested in attending, no seating reservations or parking permits are required. The series also offers a livestream option for virtual participants, and recordings of past presentations can be found on the Thursdays at the U webpage.

For more information about the upcoming presentation or the Thursdays at the U series, individuals can contact the campus at 715-788-6244 or email Dr. Linda Tollefsrud, the series organizer, at tollefla@uwec.edu.