Blazing Trail: 40 Years on the Superior Hiking Trail

Blazing Trail is a special-edition podcast created by WTIP and the Superior Hiking Trail Association. The first full episode will launch on January 8, 2026. For four decades, the Superior Hiking Trail has been more than a 300-mile footpath — it’s been a living link between people, place, and purpose.

The eight-episode series will explore the trail through stories about the early days, the work of trail builders and volunteers, and the voices of hikers and adventurers whose lives have been transformed by the trail.

To honor 40 years on the trail, the Superior Hiking Trail Association celebrates the spirit of exploration, stewardship, and belonging that has guided generations along the SHT. Together, we’re blazing new paths toward a more connected future.

Subscribe to Blazing Trail wherever you get your podcasts.

January 8, 2026

40 Years Ago: What was the North Shore like before the Superior Hiking Trail? Staci L Drouillard

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.

December 22, 2025

Blazing Trail Podcast Preview with Lisa Luokkala Staci L Drouillard

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.

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Blazing Trail: 40 Years on the Superior Hiking Trail