Blazing Trail: 40 Years on the Superior Hiking Trail

The Superior Hiking Trail provides great opportunities to connect people of all ages with wild spaces. In Episode 4 we meet Jody Nonnemacher, a North Shore grandmother who has established the tradition of hiking with each of her grandchildren when they turn five-years-old. She talks about how to prepare for a hike with young children, and the importance of creating healthy habits related to walking in the woods together.

In the second half we talk to Henry Downing and Erin Soderberg Downing, a mother and son who tackled 100 miles of the SHT while Erin was doing research for her middle-grade novel “Just Keep Walking.” The hike inspired the storyline for the book and deepened the real-life connection between the two of them, proving that families can do hard things and that connections made on the trail sometimes last a lifetime.

Next full episode available on May 25th! In Episode 4 of Blazing Trail: 40 Years on the Superior Hiking Trail, we talk with Jody Nonnemacher, a North Shore grandmother who established the family tradition of taking each of her grandchildren on a SHT hike when they turned five years old.
We also had a nice conversation with Minnesota author Erin Soderberg Downing and her son Henry Downing about a 100-mile hike on the SHT they tackled while Erin gathered research for her book “Just Keep Walking,” a middle-grade novel published in 2024.

Episode three of Blazing Trail, is all about volunteers! We meet Steph Hoff, a competitive trail runner and volunteer crew leader for the SHTA. After that, we discuss “finding your inner wild,” with Monica Shoberg, founder of Unruly Women, an all-femme organization that partners with the SHTA on group trail projects.

Stephanie Hoff

Barbara Budd

To close out the episode, we speak with SHTA Volunteer & Education Coordinator Barbara Budd (pictured with saw), who shares news about upcoming volunteer opportunities, and reflects on the role of volunteers, as we near the 40th Anniversary of the Superior Hiking Trail.

More information at:  superiorhiking.org  or unrulywomen.org

Group photo by Arhely Bermudez. Other photos courtesy of Barbara Budd, Steph Hoff and Monica Shoberg.

In this teaser for Episode three of Blazing Trail we meet Steph Hoff, a competitive trail runner and volunteer crew leader for the SHTA, Monica Shoberg, founder of Unruly Women, an all-femme organization that partners with the SHTA on group trail projects, and Barbara Budd, volunteer coordinator for the SHTA.

This episode is all about finding love in its many forms on the Superior Hiking Trail.

Beth and George on the trail.

We meet Beth Kaszynski and George Dahm, a couple who fell in love while volunteering for a trail rehabilitation project near Lutsen. They got married on Iona’s Beach and have been married for 21 years.

Katie and Josh Belanger on their first Anniversary, and revisiting the SHT ten years later with their kids.

We also visit with Katie and Josh Belanger, a Grand Marais couple who planned a thru-hike on the SHT for their first wedding anniversary. The trip itinerary didn’t go as planned, but the hike still serves as a formative part of their relationship with each other, and with the SHT.

Sisters, at the beginning of their second hike on the SHT.

Finally, Duluth sisters Lynn, Krista and Cheryl share their story about a planned hike during the COVID 19 pandemic. After an injury on the trail resulted in an abrupt ending, the three sisters made a second attempt, reaffirming sisterly love, pride in each other and a love for the trail, after the loss of their father.

The next episode will be available on February 13th! It is all about finding love in its many forms on the Superior Hiking Trail. In this Episode 2 teaser we meet Beth and George, a couple fell in love after volunteering for a trail rehabilitation project near Lutsen. We also hear from Katie and Josh Belanger, who planned a thru-hike on the SHT for their first wedding anniversary. The trip itinerary didn’t go as planned, but the hike still serves as a formative part of their relationship with each other, and with the SHT. Finally, sisters Lynn, Krista and Cheryl set out on a hike during the COVID 19 pandemic. After an injury on the trail set them back, the three sisters tried again, reaffirming sisterly love and a love for the trail, after the loss of their father.

Welcome to Blazing Trail: 40 Years on the Superior Hiking Trail! In Episode One of this limited-series podcast we meet some of the early trail blazers including Jim Shinners, Denny Caneff, Dennis Rhysdahl, Jo Swanson and others, including a few stories from Tom Peterson (pictured below), an SHT pioneer who helped plan and build many beloved sections of the Trail.

Podcast producer Staci Drouillard explores what outdoor recreation on the North Shore looked like before the SHT existed, and how the trail has become part of the North Shore experience for residents and visitors over the past 40 years. Includes archived audio from the Superior Hiking Trail Founders Video. Learn more at https://superiorhiking.org/

Tom Peterson, an early trail blazer. Tom passed away in 2021.

Laid-off steelworkers who helped build the SHT. Photo by Tom Peterson, 1988.

Early trail advocates share how laid-off steelworkers from Silver Bay helped build some of the early sections, as well as how Finnish farmers were recruited to help build the bridge over the Devil Track River.

Crew including Finnish farmers builds the bridge over the Devil Track River. Photo courtesy of the SHTA.

The Superior Hiking Trail Association and WTIP Community Radio are teaming up for a new podcast called Blazing Trail: 40 Years on the Superior Hiking Trail. In this preview, SHTA Director Lisa Luokkala talks with podcast producer Staci Drouillard about what listeners can expect when the podcast launches in January of 2026.