St. Johnsbury Academy Stewardship Day

Kingdom Trails generates tremendous economic impact throughout the region and is a remarkable recreation resource, one that our KT staff and board of directors have worked to make accessible to all. Through numerous conversations, engagement, and community efforts, we continue to partner with many diverse organizations to make our trails more accessible for all users. In 2021, KT partnered with the Kelly Brush Foundation and Vermont Adaptive to rate over 100 miles of trail as aMTB accessible. From this collaboration, KT was able to identify 55 miles of trail with the help of Greg Durso, an adaptive rider and Program Director with the Kelly Brush Foundation. Afterward, KT proudly displayed the *aMTB symbol on the 2022 summer trail map for the first time. We are grateful for the guidance and support from our partners as we seek to increase access and opportunity to mountain biking for athletes with disabilities.

In the fall of 2022, with a partnership with Adaptive Sport Partners and aMTB rider and Program Manager MiKayla Breie, Kingdom Trails identified a number of bridges that didn’t meet aMTB standards. These bridges also needed to be replaced due to wear and tear. These bridges included a field bridge on Loop Trail behind the Inn at Mountain View and a forest bridge on Old Webs near the Chapel. The Loop trail bridge keeps trail users out of a muddy marsh field, and the Old Web’s trail takes trail users over a deep forest floor. Each bridge is just wide enough for an aMTB bike to make it across, but there is no room for error. Reconstructing each bridge to widen them would make each trail more adaptive friendly for all trail users to enjoy! 

In October 2022, KT presented numerous service project ideas to multiple groups of sophomore students at St. Johnsbury Academy, where 24 students chose aMTB bridge replacement to complete their service project on May 5th, 2023, called Stewardship Day. The day was quite epic! We hosted the group of 24 students in two sessions, morning and afternoon. The morning group deconstructed the bridge and set the stringers for the second group. The second group decked the bridge and built up dirt hills at either end for bikes to access easily. Both groups participated in the demonstration of a few aMTB bikes and rode on the loop trail. This experience not only gave the youth a service project to give back to our community, but it taught them the importance of creating access for anyone who wishes to recreate! Our three adaptive partners made this happen, and we are forever grateful for their passion, guidance, and help. 

Another remarkable feature was the lumber used to reconstruct the bridge! The majority of the lumber used came from our very own sustainable timber harvest on the Darling Ridge conserved parcel in January & February 2023! We used freshly milled hemlock cut to 2x8, 4x4, and 2x6 boards, bridging a true connection back to the land and how deep our community goes. From our own environmental timber harvest to expanding access to aMTB riders at KT, and using the opportunity to educate youth through a service project, this project hit all the marks!

KT continues to find ways to engage in community growth, and we couldn’t be happier with how this day turned out. Next time you are on Loop trail, check it out and revel in the process that made it happen :)