The Trail Provides: Hikers Rebuild Cairns Started by Beloved Vermonter June Heston
Her life’s work reflects a commitment to lifting others, and a recent act of kindness on a local trail shows just how deeply her community values her.
In Vermont, June Heston is a name synonymous with service and community. A resident of Richmond, she has earned the admiration of her neighbors through decades of dedication, making her a cherished figure in the state. Her life’s work—spanning professional leadership, volunteer efforts, and advocacy—reflects a commitment to lifting others, and a recent act of kindness on a local trail shows just how deeply her community values her.
June’s Vermont roots trace back to Graniteville, where her parents, both WWII veterans, instilled a sense of civic duty. In Richmond, her home for many years, she served on the Select Board and ran again in 2021, driven by a desire to strengthen her town, as she told Community News. Her professional career includes leading Vermont’s Make-A-Wish Foundation, where she granted wishes for children with serious illnesses, and heading the Vermont Family Network, supporting families of children with disabilities. She also served as Executive Director of The Chill Foundation, empowering youth through outdoor programs.
Her volunteer work is equally impressive. June chairs the Fallen Heroes Memorial Committee for the Vermont National Guard and is a long-standing counsellor at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a South Hero camp offering programs for children with cancer. She joined Richmond Racial Equity to address systemic racism, showing her commitment to fairness, as noted in a 2020 VTDigger article.
June’s most personal fight came after the 2018 death of her husband, Brigadier General Michael Heston, from cancer linked to burn pit exposure in Afghanistan. She channeled her grief into advocacy, helping pass a Vermont law for burn pit disability benefits and contributing to the 2022 PACT Act for veterans’ healthcare, as reported by WCAX. “I lost my husband. My kids lost their father,” she said in a 2019 VTDigger interview, fueling her resolve to spare others the same loss.
Knocked Down, But Right Back Up Again
Richmond’s tight-knit community reflects June’s spirit of giving. This was clear on a trail near her home, where she walks with her dog, Ruby. Last summer, she built cairns along the path “as a sign of gratitude for not only the beauty of this spot, but gratitude for the use of the trail,” she wrote on Facebook. Others added their own, creating a shared tradition.
In January 2025, she found them all destroyed, likely intentionally. “It wasn’t one or two…it was all of them,” she noted. June rebuilt one small cairn, planning to restore more. Recently, she returned to find new cairns where hers once stood, built by an anonymous hiker. “Right where others had been standing last year, another beautiful soul built a bit of a kingdom. My heart feels full,” she shared.
These cairns symbolize June’s impact: each act of service a stone, building something lasting. The hikers’ gesture mirrors the respect Vermont holds for her—a quiet act of care for a woman who has given so much. June’s legacy, like the trail, endures through community and connection.