Superior Hero Tales – Anna Swarts

Each month, we honor someone who has gone above and beyond to support the Superior Hiking Trail and the Association that takes care of it. Their stories are our…

November’s Superior Hero Tale: Anna Swarts

This month we honor Anna Swarts, our most-nominated Superior Hero to date. The effusive praise found in the nominations we’ve received come as no surprise to us: Anna’s dedication, upbeat attitude, and work ethic greatly benefit the Superior Hiking Trail and its users. Quoth one observer of Anna’s contributions:

“I am constantly impressed by her humble dedication to this cause. I am absolutely sure she has done way more for the Trail than I could ever know to indicate here, as humility is also one of her traits!”

Anna probably wouldn’t tell you that she’s dug a dozen latrines as part of the Elite Latrine Digging Squad, with some of them in the most challenging sections of Trail. She also volunteers for trail clearing and other trail projects too. You never know where she’ll manage to show up: earlier this year, she made a trek to Grand Marais on a weekday to help unload lumber.

 

Anna doesn’t just contribute to the physical Trail, as she’s also a fantastic resource for the SHTA and fellow Trail users. A few weeks ago, she assisted a thru-hiker visiting from Germany on his quest to experience the wonders of the North Shore via the SHT. Earlier this year, she wrote a guest blog article about what to expect when sharing campsites on the Trail. Her perspective on the Trail, in her own words:

“As the Trail is a shared resource, we all have an equal claim to enjoy the Trail as well as the duty to be good stewards of it so that others may enjoy as well… you have more in common with your fellow hikers than you might think, and you’ll be a richer person having met them.”

We think our Trail is richer, too, with good stewards like Anna among our ranks.

Have a hero for the Trail you’d like to nominate? Let us know using this form.