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DOWAGIAC — After 10 years of curating a treasure trove of tales for the Dowagiac community to enjoy, Matthew Weston is embarking on a brand new adventure of his own.

Weston has stepped down as director of the Dowagiac District Library and is gearing up to hike a section of the North Country Trail. The North Country National Scenic Trail is the longest in the National Trails System, stretching 4,800 miles across eight states from North Dakota to Vermont, traversing forests and farmlands, remote terrain and bustling communities. 

“[The library] has been such a great challenge for me,” Weston said. “We did the building project and I hired some really great staff. I felt ready for a new challenge and the library was in a good place.”

Weston will begin his hike just outside of Newaygo, Michigan and will head north through the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin and into Minnesota before reaching his destination near Atasca State Park in Park Rapids, Minnesota. Weston said his hike will be approximately 2,000 miles long and will take an estimated six months to complete.

“I’d like to do a 10 miles per day average if I’m in good enough shape for that,” he said. “That should give me time to also explore side trails. I like to take my time and explore. I’m not looking to go from point A to B, I’m hoping to look around and really enjoy the North Woods experience.”

A Michigan native, Weston was raised in Farmington, just north of Detroit.

After high school, Weston went north to Marquette to attend Northern Michigan University. College graduation left Weston in the same place it leaves most people, confused and wondering what he truly wanted to do.

From there, Weston went to Juneau, Alaska, where he started volunteering at a local library that was situated on the shores of the Gastineau Channel. After just a year in Juneau, Weston made the decision to go back to school.

Weston attended Dominican University, in Chicago, where he received his degree in library science. From there he took a job in Carol Stream, Illinois as a reference librarian.

Weston’s last post before DDL was held at the Van Buren District Library in Decatur, where he was the branch services coordinator. Due to budgetary reasons, Weston’s position was eliminated from the library. After over 10 years of being a librarian, Weston was named director of the Library in 2015.

Under Weston’s guidance, the library was able to pass a millage in November 2018 giving the library a $7.4 million bond over 20 years for the expansion and renovation of the building, which was completed in 2021. Weston has enjoyed getting to know the community through the library.

“Dowagiac is a great community,” he said. “It’s probably the first time I’ve been really hooked into a community. It’s a nice rural area and it’s got a great community. Wherever I end up, I’ll take that with me.”

An avid outdoors enthusiast, Weston felt the time was right to tackle this portion of the North Country Trail while he was still physically active.

“I’ve mostly lived in Michigan my whole life,” he said. “It’s been a really great trail to explore here and there, and I just wanted to tie it all together. I’ve been on a lot of pretty sections of the trail and would like to see those again and everything in between. It’s a good time of my life where I’m up to the physical challenge.”

While Weston has not yet decided what the future holds, his hike experience may lead him to his next path.

“It may involve libraries, it may not,” Weston said. “I still love libraries  and I love working at it in all capacities whether it’s director or not but I’ve done other jobs in life. It’d be fun to see what’s out there now.”

While his time with the Dowagiac District Library may be over, he encourages people to continue to support their local libraries.

“Everyone’s equal at the library. People from all kinds of backgrounds can get together there. They’re looking for books but they’re also going there to chat. If you go into a new town, a great thing to do is go to your public library to meet other people who are friendly, very knowledgeable. It’s just a great way to connect to your community.”