Ugh. A whole lotta uuuuuugh.
When we bought the property, there was a single 4-wheeler trail running through the middle. In the first summer, I established a complete perimeter trail and various connecting trails. We now have 3 miles of beautiful, peaceful, meandering trails….full of debris.
There are a few spots that miraculously don’t have storm debris. But the majority of our trails are trashed. It’s going to take quite a few calories to get the trails clear again. We need to add a larger woodchipper to our lineup.
The cleanup will happen over time. In this video, I wanted to walk and document the aftermath of the 2026 ice storm.
Have you thought about an external firebox heating system? I have seen them in Minnesota and new improved ones on the internet.
When I had my house built in Fishkill NY I had the builder install a fireplace furnace in the living room. I could use unsplit logs up to 36” long. Due to my employer transferring me, I sold that house in 1994.
We have, but I’m leaning towards an internal wood burning stove being the easiest and least expensive route.
That bit about buying the property with just a single 4-wheeler trail down the middle, then spending your first summer carving out a full perimeter trail (plus connectors) really hit me—especially with an ice storm turning everything into “3 miles of destruction.” Trail systems feel so solid and permanent when you build them, and then one brutal weather event can erase months of work overnight.
Been there in a smaller way after heavy wet snow: downed limbs everywhere, sections blocked, and suddenly you’re doing cleanup just to regain basic access. One thing that helped was tackling it like a loop—clear just enough for a passable circuit first, then come back for widening and snagging hazards later.
When you’re rebuilding, do you prioritize reopening that original middle route first, or the perimeter so you can assess damage from all sides?
I’ll likely prioritize the easiest first. Get momentum and figure out a system.