The Stump Destroyers

About The Stump Destroyers

By late December the sun goes behind Mount Defiance early, and the cold settles into the yards on that side of town for the night. The Stump Destroyers work into that half-light — plowing driveways and lots, cutting the banks back so there is somewhere to put the next storm, salting the steep aprons that freeze first. A lot kept up all winter is a satisfying thing: no ruts, no ice ridge at the mouth, no guessing where the pavement ends. Squalls in the Champlain corridor can drop several inches while you eat dinner, so a night can mean two passes or three. By morning the storm is nothing but a line of neat banks and a clear way in.