Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Trees down all over the SHT



As if last spring's ice storm, which coated the middle part of the Superior Hiking Trail is an inch of ice and broke down thousands of trees, wasn't enough...

Quoting SHTA executive director Gayle Coyer on the SHTA's FaceBook page:

"There was a major wind storm on the trail from Finland to the end of the trail (the entire north end of the trail, about 100 miles) on Monday, September 28th with winds up to 60 mph. Hundreds of large trees came down and now litter the trail. The hiking in this area will be difficult and will require climbing over large trees. Be particularly mindful of broken branches still in trees or trees continuing to fall to the ground.

"The wind damage from Finland to the north end of the trail is very severe. There are hundreds and hundreds of large trees down. It took one hiker 2-1/2 hours to hike one mile north of Grand Marais. There can be up to 25 large trees per 0.5 mile section. The SHT is not closed but expect difficult hiking conditions and be prepared. Also watch for branches and trees still falling. There were severe winds in Lake County (Two Harbors to Little Marais) for the past 24 hours but as of yet we've had no reports. We'll keep you posted!



(From Section 13, September 29, 2009)

"If you hike in this area, we would appreciate any reports of safety concerns and we will take care of those right away. Otherwise we will start clearing the trail in the order of the most popularly hiked sections. We will also be activating our certified chainsawer list to see if anyone can help clear trail."

No rest for the weary.



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