Search
Search

SHTA Volunteers Clear 249 Miles of Trail

June 26, 2025

During the month of May and the first weeks of June, Superior Hiking Trail Association volunteers cleared 249 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail. An amazing feat!

Volunteer and Education Manager Barbara Budd speaks with volunteers in Grand Marais before they head out to their various sections on the Superior Hiking Trail in May 2025. Photo by Hayley Mattila.

We hosted three Trail Clearing Weekends in Duluth, Schroeder, and Grand Marais during which 84 volunteers cleared 84 miles of the Trail. Also during the month of May, individual certified sawyers (who recruit their own clearing crews) cleared another 119 miles of the Trail. In the Duluth area, volunteers led by contractor Larry Sampson cleared 46 miles. The remaining 51 miles of trail were cleared by contractor Full Sun Services.

Pictured is certified sawyer George “Mad Hat” Dahm with his swamper crew. George saws through the trees and the swampers clear the pieces from the Trail. Also pictured: Hayley “HayHay” Mattila, front right, Beth “Ewok” Kaszynski, middle, and Ruth Treviño, back. Photo by Hayley Mattila.

We faced an above-average year for the number of trees down due to balsam killed by spruce budworm as well as several significant windstorms between October and May, including a mid-May windstorm that felled more trees. John Storkamp is the race director of the Superior Spring Race on the SHT and SHTA Volunteer Crew Leader and sawyer who organizes a crew to clear the 21-mile race course in May. In the race recap for participants, he wrote “an average number of trees down each spring on the 21ish miles of Trail that comprise the Superior Spring Trail Race is about 40. This year there were over 200.”

Volunteers hit a major tangle of downed trees during our Schroeder Trail Clearing Weekend May 17 & 18 that required two full days of work to clear. Photos by Ruth Treviño.

One crew in Schroeder encountered a huge pile of trees on a Saturday afternoon. They spent all day Sunday clearing just that one pile! Another crew drove 45 minutes from Grand Marais and back to clear a far northerly section. We even had one “triple crowner” – certified sawyer Steve Anderson attended all three clearing weekends! Despite the extra challenges this year, volunteers and contractors had almost the entire Trail cleared by June 1. Incredible work, everyone!

Volunteers sit around an evening campfire at Grand Marais Municipal Campground after a day of trail work. Volunteering with the SHTA isn’t all hard labor! There is also a lot of fun and getting to know other wonderful folks who love the Trail as much as you do. Photo by Hayley Mattila.

We were also excited to see that about one third of the clearing weekend volunteers were new this year. Our cooks made amazing breakfast and dinner for crews, letting them relax after a day of hard work. People were able to sit around the dinner table, and at Grand Marais, the fire ring, to visit and get to know each other. Stories were shared, there was lots of laughter, and even a performance by volunteers Ralph and Mary Brindle on their alphorns to welcome in the evening.

Ralph and Mary Brindle welcome in the evening by playing their alphorns on the shore of Lake Superior in group camp after a day of hard work clearing the Trail. Video by Hayley Mattila.

A great time was had by all. Smiles, laughter, stories, and some really needed work was completed, giving volunteers a sense of accomplishment.

We send 300-miles of thanks to all the generous people who gave their time and effort to get the Trail in tip top shape for our 2025 adventures! If you’d like to join the fun, we’d love to welcome you to one of our upcoming volunteer events.

By Barbara Budd, Volunteer and Education Manager