The trail in front of you is muddy. What to do, what to do.
"Just go right through it," says Barbara Budd, the volunteer and education coordinator for the Superior Hiking Trail. Alternatives like walking along the side of the trail will not only expand the area in need of remediation, but fragile plant life is also likely to be damaged. Additionally, Budd instructs hikers not to use boards or branches to create makeshift bridges over the mud. "Most of the time it makes the muddy spot longer and wider... it blocks the water from getting off the trail and makes the muddy spot worse."
Of course, any trail could become muddy depending on the weather or the season, but some muddy areas are chronically so and require action. The response to detrimentally muddy trails varies. Filling the trail or raising it with rocks, rerouting the trail, and creating drainage are all possible solution. In severe cases, it may even be necessary to build a boardwalk.
For those that want to do more than just responsibly traverse the trails, volunteer opportunities to help the Superior Hiking Trail are coming up in the near future. On October 12th, the SHT is looking for help with the Mystery Mountain section near Lutsen. For more information on ways to get involved with volunteer trail maintenance, visit the Superior Hiking Trail website.
You can hear Green Visions at 8:20am every Wednesday on Northland Morning.
