Blue Ridge Outdoors October 2019 by Summit Publishing

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Mountain Getaways 14 UNIQUE LODGING ADVENTURES

WHO MAINTAINS YOUR FAVORITE TRAIL? VOLUNTEERS DO. + THE NEW GENDER RULES IN SPORTS + CUTTING THE PUBLIC OUT OF PUBLIC LANDS? + THE EXERCISE PILL

7 OUTDOOR HEROES OF 2019 THE FREE S O LO D E B AT E

McAfee Knob Catawba, Virginia

#ShareWhatYouLove. From coastal marshes to the famed Appalachian Trail, and the winding rivers that stitch it all together, Virginia is not meant to be admired from afar. Find what you love in Virginia. virginia.org

When someone tells you to “take a hike” in Virginia’s Blue Ridge, it’s a term of endearment! The Roanoke Valley and surrounding mountains feature some of the best hiking trails on the East Coast, and some incredible summits that should definitely be on your hiking bucket list! Here are 5 hiking

experiences where you can be a #Trailsetter and enjoy your next adventure.

PLAN YOUR NEXT HIKE AT

VisitVBR.com/Hiking

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Peaks of Otter Virginia’s most famous peaks are the Peaks of Otter near Bedford along the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 86. The trio – Flat Top, Sharp Top, and Harkening Hill – are beauties to behold on the horizon, but the views from atop them are even more impressive, with Sharp Top Mountain being the most popular for hiking.

VIRGINIA’S TRIPLE CROWN You’ll feel like you deserve a crown of your own after you hike Virginia’s Triple Crown. These three peaks, Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs, are three challenging hikes that feature some of the most scenic and iconic views along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.

Waterfall Hikes We’ve never met anyone who didn’t love a waterfall, and to our pleasure, Virginia’s Blue Ridge offers several waterfall hikes. For an easy trek, enjoy the relaxing walk in the woods to Roaring Run Falls in Botetourt County. For more of a challenge, consider the climb to Apple Orchard Falls off the Blue Ridge Parkway or the hike to Bottom Creek Gorge, offering a view of Virginia’s second highest waterfall.

Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage 540-683-2012 · StarrHill.com

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HIKE MILL MOUNTAIN TO THE ROANOKE STAR When you want to see the Roanoke Star on Mill Mountain, try taking the Star Trail from the base of the mountain and hiking to the top. It’s approximately 3.25 miles round-trip with elevation gain of nearly 800 feet. The view from the Star is quite impressive, especially on a clear day.

Hiking Trails Near Breweries You’re never far from a post-hike beer in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Downtown Roanoke spots such as the Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage are easily accessible from the trails at Mill Mountain Park, and you’ll love getting to check out the craft breweries on Virginia’s Blue Ridge Cheers Trail as you celebrate your latest hiking conquests.

OCTOBER 2019

PRESIDENT BLAKE DEMASO b l a ke @ b l u e r i d g e o u t d o o r s . c o m E D I TO R I N C H I E F W I L L H A R L A N will@blueridgeoutdoors.com P U B L I S H E R L E A H WO O DY leah@blueridgeoutdoors.com C R E AT I V E D I R E C TO R L AU R E N WO R T H lauren@blueridgeoutdoors.com A S S O C I AT E P U B L I S H E R K AT I E H A R T W E L L katie@blueridgeoutdoors.com E D I TO R I A L & P R O D U C T I O N S E N I O R E D I TO R J E D D F E R R I S jedd@blueridgeoutdoors.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER AMELIA MCCONNELL amelia@blueridgeoutdoors.com T R AV E L E D I TO R E L L E N K A N Z I N G E R ellen@blueridgeoutdoors.com O U T D O O R N E W S E D I TO R

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F E AT U R E S 23 SECRETS OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST RUNNERS How did Arnulfo Quimare, a Tarahumara goat herder, beat the world’s most elite and highly trained runners? Secret number one: don’t train. 26 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF FREE SOLOING Has Alex Honnold’s Yosemite climb sparked more daredevils? North Carolina soloist Austin Howell fell to his death this summer while freesoloing in Linville Gorge. Sasha diGuilian and other climbers weigh in on the free solo debate. 31 WHO MAINTAINS YOUR FAVORITE TRAIL? VOLUNTEERS. Understaffed, cashstrapped federal agencies National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service rely on hardworking volunteer trail crews to build and care

for most of the trails in Southern Appalachia.

qualified to compete as a male and a female?

36 MOUNTAIN GETAWAY GUIDE Sleep in a lighthouse, fire tower, or caboose this fall while surrounded by stunning autumn color. We highlight 14 unique lodging options for leafpeeping adventurers.

13 QUICK HITS The exercise pill: can a drug provide all of the benefits of exercise and the outdoors? • You live in the salamander capital of the world

43 OUTDOOR HEROES Meet 7 inspiring outdoor enthusiasts who are helping to protect the places where we play. D E PA R T M E N T S 7 EDITOR’S NOTE The Forest Service is proposing to cut the public out of public lands decisions. Don’t let them silence you. 9 FLASHPOINT The blurred gender line in sports: How do national and international athletics—or even high school coaches— determine who is

Premier Adventure Travel Event Camping, Outdoor & OO-Road Gear Ride & Drive Courses

60 THE GOODS Best in backpacking: a hiking guide picks her favorite gear. 62 TRAIL MIX Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard releases a new solo record. 64 LAST WORD A new generation of guides and outfitters are popping up in unexpected places, including the coalfields. ON THE COVER Sunset over the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower in Seneca State Forest, W.Va.

OCTOBER 11-13 Arrington, VA Tickets & Camping Info

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BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019 | RICHMOND - VIRGINIA BEACH / METRO DC EDITION

EDITOR'S NOTE

CUTTING THE PUBLIC OUT OF PUBLIC LANDS?

THE FOREST SERVICE IS PROPOSING TO ELIMINATE PUBLIC COMMENT FROM MOST LOGGING PROJECTS IN APPALACHIA BY WILL HARLAN

THE FOREST SERVICE IS PROPOSING TO GUT THE

most important conservation law on the books. You’ve probably heard of the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act—all of which are also under attack by the current administration. But none of them are as important as NEPA—the National Environmental Policy Act. It sounds wonky and boring, but NEPA is the unsung, unheralded hero of conservation in this country. It’s the workhorse that gets the job done, mostly behind the scenes— like a football guard protecting his quarterback, or R2D2, the robot from Star Wars, who doesn’t get a ton of screen time but almost singlehandedly saves the rebels and takes down the empire. Here’s how NEPA works: before making any decision that could harm the environment, government agencies must gather information, explain their thinking, and accept public feedback. Simple, but crucial. NEPA is especially important for an agency like the Forest Service, whose job is to balance a number of equally important values, including wilderness, water quality, timber harvests, and recreation. Projects like commercial logging, road construction, or clearcutting pipeline corridors, for example, can and do happen in national forests, and they can be extremely harmful if they’re in the wrong places, like backcountry recreation areas, habitats for rare species, and precious old growth forests. Last month, the U.S. Forest Service proposed new loopholes to NEPA that would eliminate advance notice and comment for a host of potentially harmful projects, such as logging up to 4,200 acres at a time, building 5 miles of roads, or bulldozing 4 miles of utility

FOREST SERVICE GUTS CONSERVATION LAW corridors. It would allow the Forest Service to sell off your favorite places for timber, and you wouldn’t know about it until it’s too late. Why? The Forest Service says that the new loopholes will speed up their work. Without public comment and scientific input, they say they can conduct logging projects more quickly to help prevent wildfires. The explanation doesn’t hold water. Less than a year ago, Congress gave the Forest Service a special authority for projects that would prevent wildfires and created a new emergency fund so they’ll have the money to get them done. The proposed loophole is much broader than that: it would allow logging for any purpose—even if it actually increases fire risk by removing old, fire-resistant, and commercially valuable trees. Nevertheless, the Forest Service says that public input is just too time consuming. Its proposal argues that cutting out public input will shave up to 16 months from project timelines. An analysis based on Forest Service data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) shows that eliminating public and scientific input does not actually make the Forest Service operate more efficiently. Projects with public input and transparent analysis actually require less time per acre than projects developed behind closed doors. That’s because the public happens to know a lot about the places they love—information that helps locate projects in the right places for the right reasons. The Forest Service’s proposal is not really about efficiency, wildfires, or bureaucracy. It is primarily an attempt to eliminate accountability from public lands management. The proposed NEPA-nixing rules will hit Southern forests harder than any other region. More timber harvests occur here than anywhere else in the country, and essentially all of the logging projects in Southern Appalachian national forests would fit into the 4,200-acre loophole. Losing public accountability means losing old growth, losing rare wildlife and habitats, losing backcountry solitude, and losing clean streams and rivers. Over the past 11 years, 71 major logging projects have taken place in the six Southern Appalachian national

PHOTO BY STEVEN MCBRIDE

forests in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. All but one of these projects would have been exempt from public and scientific input under the proposed new rules. Thankfully, the existing NEPA rules required public and scientific input for all of them. As a direct result of the NEPA process, around 5,000 acres of commercial logging and associated road construction were dropped because they would have impacted resources like old-growth forests, rare species habitat, scenic views, and pristine trout streams, according to the SELC analysis of Forest Service data. In the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest, at least 1 in 5 acres touched by Forest Service management were either added or removed from projects because of public input. “NEPA works, and the data show it,” says Sam Evans, public lands attorney at SELC. “Forest Service projects decisions are significantly improved by public and scientific input. If we let the Forest Service gut its NEPA rules, none of those improvements would happen in the future.” This isn’t just about tree-huggers having their say. Hunters, locals, recreational users, private landowners, historic preservationists, outdoor guides, city and county governments and tourism boards, Native American communities, and scientific experts will all be shut out of the Forest Service’s decision-making process. All of these groups provide important, on-theground insights about the landscape that the understaffed Forest Service cannot possibly gather on its own. The Forest Service is staffed by

people who love these lands as much as we do. But they already don’t have the resources to do their jobs without mistakes, and they’re under tremendous pressure to put more logs on trucks. According to records obtained through FOIA, the Forest Service is ratcheting up its timber quotas by 45%—levels of timber production our forests haven’t seen in decades. At the same time, the agency is proposing to cut 4,650 full time staff from its payroll. More acres + less staff = more mistakes. Evans sympathizes with the Forest Service’s predicament, but he says the data don’t support cutting out the public. “The Forest Service does struggle with timely project delivery, but its bottlenecks don’t come from its already-short 30-day comment windows. Its delays are caused by the lack of boots on the ground to look for things like rare species and design projects to protect them—what most of us would simply call doing a good job.” Unfortunately, Evans says, the agency’s proposed solution is to get rid of accountability. “If you get rid of public oversight, then nobody knows when you do a bad job. Nobody knows that you logged a stand on top of endangered salamanders.” We own these lands, and the Forest Service is supposed to work for us. We don’t have to go along with this proposal, and the Forest Service needs to hear from you. So do your congressional leaders. Speak now—it could be your last chance to do so. Visit OurForestsOurVoice.org or southernenvironment.org to learn more.

OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

BOUNDLESS EXPERIENCES AND ADVENTURE St. Mary’s County

Limitless adventure awaits. Fall in St. Mary’s County is breathtaking. Outdoor adventure, history, food, culture, and everything in between await you where the Potomac and the Chesapeake meet. Come discover the mid-Atlantic’s best kept travel secret.

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Antietam Battlefield, Appalachian Trail, C&O Canal, Maryland Heights & Harpers Ferry National Park Potomac National Scenic Trail

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BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019

| RICHMOND - VIRGINIA BEACH / METRO DC EDITION

FLASHPOINT

IDENTITY

THE NEW GENDER RULES IN SPORTS ARE TESTOSTERONE LEVELS THE BEST WAY TO CATEGORIZE MALE AND FEMALE ATHLETES? B Y A N N A K AT H E R I N E C L E M M O N S

WHEN AN EAST COAST-BASED CISGENDER ultrarunner—who asked to remain anonymous—saw the entrant’s pool for a recent competition, she was conflicted. The veteran saw that she would be racing against several familiar names, including Grace Fisher. Fisher had finished ahead of her in several competitions over the last few years; while she was friends with Fisher, whom she called a “sweet and lovely person,” and she supported Fisher’s pursuit of distance running, she questioned whether Fisher should be allowed to compete in the women’s category. That’s because Fisher is a transgender woman. The 38-year-old was born a man, began running in high school, and started her transition process in 2013. She began entering races as a woman in 2016, having undergone several years of hormone therapy. Around the world, the question of how to categorize gender in competition has increased in recent years. As athletes as young as 10 and 11, who identify with a gender other than the one they were born with, face their own internal anxieties and questions, governing bodies grapple with how to allow for gender equity as well as fair competition. “I think many people are willing to accept the athletes gender to which they associate with, at face value, in order to preserve and respect that person‘s feelings, decisions and identity,” the anonymous runner says. “No one wants to appear unsupportive of the societal changes that are occurring now, versus 20 years ago. I understand that completely, but when it comes to the athleticism of males/females, there is more than just hormone levels that divides them and gives the male athlete an advantage. VO2 max, metabolism, and muscle memory— they all play a role.”

When Fisher was granted admission via lottery to the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, where almost 6,000 people applied for only 369 spots, race officials realized that they might face similar questions. The Board decided to establish an official policy for transgender women (transgender men can compete without any regulations.) “Not knowing how [Grace] would do, but knowing that she might be top 10 where awards are recognized, we wanted to consider it ahead of time, so we wouldn’t be scrambling at the last minute if anyone questioned the results,” Diana Fitzpatrick, a board member, says. Ultimately, Fisher finished 84th overall and 20th amongst females. Still, the question of where transgender or intersex athletes should be allowed to compete continues to be debated. Fisher said she has felt welcomed by the ultrarunning community, though she realizes that some critics contend with her entrance as female. “In 2016, I placed second as female in the Vermont 100,” Fisher says. “The race director was totally for it, but she got a lot of questions. Some people said I shouldn’t have gotten the second-place award. But she continued to support me. And the majority of runners that I talk to, they’ve been supportive.” In deciding Western States’ policy, Fitzpatrick and her fellow subcommittee members talked to transgender athletes while also looking at the policies of the Boston Marathon, the New York Marathon and the IOC, amongst others. They also utilized transathlete.

com, a resource website created by transgender athlete Chris Mosier, which details information about trans policies in athletics at various levels of competition. Ultimately, they decided that runners could enter the race under whichever gender they identify with; however, with a top ten finish or age group winner, a transgender woman might need to show medical proof of having undergone hormone therapy for at least one year if her result was challenged by another finisher. Trans athletes have been allowed to compete in the Olympics since 2003, a policy that was updated to be more inclusive in 2015; still, a transgender athlete has never won a medal. Transgender cyclist Dr. Rachel McKinnon is hoping that the first trans person will finally reach the podium in Tokyo in 2020, even if it's not herself. “Legally and socially, trans people have made really big advances in the last five years,” McKinnon says. “That progress is still continuing, but with every marginalized group, there’s a backlash where the pendulum swings. We’re in that right now. The Trump election has exacerbated this – the administration has tried to take away

trans rights, and they raise trans athletes as a reason everyone should be against trans people.” Despite that pushback, McKinnon said, several individual sports have adopted increasingly trans-inclusive policies. Many have followed the lead of the IOC. “One reason the IOC policy is so important is that even for non-Olympic sports, it sets the tone for others,” McKinnon says. “When sports don’t know what policy to pick for trans athletes, it’s easy to say, ‘let’s just do what the Olympics does.’” Through that policy, trans athletes must first declare their gender. If an athlete declares as female, she cannot change her gender for at least four years while competing. A trans woman must also demonstrate that she has suppressed her total testosterone level in serum below 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months prior to her first competition, a level she must maintain throughout her “desired period of eligibility.” (Transgender men must declare a male gender and cannot change that for at least four years, but they have no medical restrictions.) But the question remains: do transgender women have a biological

OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

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BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019 | RICHMOND - VIRGINIA BEACH / METRO DC EDITION

FLASHPOINT

IDENTITY

advantage? “It’s probably sportdependent,” Dr. David Clemmons, an endocrinologist out of UNC-Chapel Hill, says, noting also that while some research exists, more research is needed. “A lot of muscle mass is formed before you finish puberty. So, if you underwent a transition after puberty, then you would still have more muscle mass than if you had been born and raised a female. But if you’re running a distance race, it doesn’t matter as much as say, shotput, weightlifting or a discus thrower.” As far as the biological changes to a transgender woman, “it probably takes about two years to see the effects of being below some level of threshold of male hormone (i.e. taking a testosterone blocker) and having taken feminizing drugs (high dose estrogen),” Dr. Clemmons says. “It’s not super-fast.” Then there are intersex athletes, such as South African champion Caster Semenya, who recently was barred from competition by the IAAF due to her natural higher levels of testosterone. On this matter, too, opinions are mixed. “I’m against [banning Semenya], because that wasn’t a conscious decision on the part of the woman to become intersex,” Dr. Clemmons says. “If you’re a man and you want to become a woman, that’s a conscious decision. But this woman was born that way. You can have longer tendons, so you can stretch better, or lighter bone shafts in your legs, so you can run faster. There are a lot of things you can be born with that will make you better or faster.” Writing in The New Yorker about Semenya in 2016, staff writer Malcolm Gladwell wrote, “I’ve been astonished at how many people fail to appreciate the athletic significance of this. Remember, this is a competitive issue, not a human-rights issue. No one is saying that Semenya isn’t a woman, a human being, and an individual deserving of our full respect … people are only saying that women’s athletics—as a “protected category”— requires her to have testosterone levels in line with her competitors’.” In Connecticut this summer, three high school students filed a federal discrimination complaint saying a statewide policy on transgender athletes had cost them top finishes in races, and possibly college

scholarships. Two transgender athletes were singled out in the lawsuit, one of whom is the defending state champion in the 200 meters (as a statewide high school sports policy, Connecticut allows runners to compete within the gender with which they identify). That case is ongoing. “While it makes sense, scientifically, to separate sport by gender, it’s very limiting for everybody, especially for trans people,” Gabe Duval, a transgender male and high school sophomore in Charlottesville, Va., says. “For me, wanting to do school sports, I don’t want to be on the girls team, but I can’t be on the boys team. It’s incredibly limiting and frustrating to be on this path of figuring out who you are in this experience, and to be blocked from doing the things that you want to do, when anyone else could have any experience that they wanted to.” [Editor’s note: Via Transathlete.com, The Virginia High School League policy allows a student to participate in sports if they are verified as having “a consistent identity different than the gender listed on the student’s official birth certificate,” or have already begun some form of hormone therapy. The policy emphasizes that the gender identity must be “bona fide” and requires a process that involves a number of officials verifying that identity as well as proof of medications taken, letters of support and more.] Ultimately, more understanding, support and conversation is needed for athletes of all genders—even if the conversations are sometimes difficult. Because while a universal policy that satisfies all athletes may never exist, at the very least, athletes should be allowed to compete in the way that they feel most comfortable, and as the gender they feel best represents who they are. “I don’t believe Grace is choosing to [compete as a woman] so she’ll run better as a female,” the anonymous runner says. “I don’t think college or high school students choose to do this with the intention of trying to run at a collegiate level. It’s far too emotional to go through. This isn’t anything that’s intentional or illminded. But that’s also why people are sometimes hesitant to talk about it.”

OUR FINAL MONTH OCTOBER 2019 Where has the time gone! October marks the end of another successful year for the Live Outside and Play program. It feels like just yesterday we were packing up our lives and moving into the original LOAP van. In reality, this was our third season living on the road. The end of every tour is bittersweet. Thank you to everyone who has helped us out this year. It means more than you know. We don’t like saying goodbye, so we’ll just say... see you soon! G E A R W E ’ R E LO V I N G

LOWE ALPINE: HALCYON The Halcyon series is a modern take on traditional mountain packs. Designed with winter in mind, these haulers make great companions while winter ski touring, ice climbing, or summer rock climbing. The 35:40 liter is large enough to carry your rack, rope, skis, and ice-tools. But it’s also available in a roomier 45:50 liter version.

MOUNTAIN HOUSE: CHICKEN FAJITA BOWL

Chicken Fajitas in the backcountry? What a time to be alive! The Mountain House Chicken Fajita Bowl has become a staple in our backpacking diet. It’s made with real pieces of tender chicken, rice, black beans, bell peppers, corn, onions, and seasonings. The best part is that there are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Plus, it’s gluten free!

SEA TO SUMMIT: BASECAMP II SLEEPING BAG (DOUBLE)

Being in the backcountry doesn’t mean you have to be uncomfortable. Case in point, we recently took a three-night backpacking trip to Colorado’s Chicago Basin. At night, it dipped to 35 degrees (in midAugust!)—but this double sleeping bag, packed full of 750 loft ULTRA-DRY down kept us warm and cozy every night.

OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

QUICK HITS

OUTDOOR NEWS

BY JEDD FERRIS + KIM DINAN

NEW RULES COULD LIMIT CLIMBERS ON EVEREST

Nepali officials have proposed new safety rules on Mt. Everest that would prohibit inexperienced climbers from attempting to summit the world’s tallest mountain. The rule would require would-be climbers to prove that they have summited another major peak before they are issued a permit to climb Everest. Tourism companies would also have to have at least three years of experience leading high-altitude expeditions before they could lead climbers up Everest. “Everest cannot be climbed just based on one’s wishes,” Nepal’s tourism minister said at a news conference. “We are testing their health condition and climbing skills before issuing climbing permits.” The new rules have been under consideration for several months and are expected to go before Nepal’s Parliament before the next climbing season.

AFTER A CRASH LANDING, TARDIGRADES MAY BE ALIVE ON THE MOON

When Israel’s robotic lunar lander, Beresheet, crash-landed on the moon in April, it was carrying a box of tardigrades. Tardigrades, it turns out, are micro-animals that have been found everywhere from the tops of mountains to the deep sea. They are considered to be extremely hardy and resilient and capable of surviving in space. While the box of tardigrades on board Beresheet was dehydrated, those associated with the mission believe the animals are likely to have survived the crash, though they would need to be “brought back to life” before they truly made the moon their new home. Coming back to life from a dehydrated state is not out of the question for the tardigrade, however. Tardigrades can survive without water for 10 years and can withstand temperatures over 300 degrees Fahrenheit. One tardigrade is even known to have survived being frozen for 30 years.

71-YEAR-OLD SETS AGE GROUP WORLD RECORD WITH HALF MARATHON TIME OF 1:37:07

Breaking records is a common occurrence in Jeannie Rice’s world. The 71-year-old runner, who resides part-time in Ohio and part-time in Florida, holds the age group world record for the marathon, completing the Chicago marathon last October in a time of 3:27:50. Rice recently added another record to that list, setting the age group world record in the half marathon at the Akron Half Marathon last weekend, when she crossed the finish line in an impressive 1:37:07, averaging a 7:25-mile pace throughout the entire 13.1-mile race. The grandmother of two reportedly trains 50 to 60 miles per week and has now set her sights on breaking her own world records. “If I can break my own world record it’d be great,” Rice told Runners World. “… I set a goal like that so I don’t give up, so I can continue to train hard and tough.”

JULY 2019 WAS THE HOTTEST MONTH EVER RECORDED

TA R D I G R A D E S M AY B E T H E T O U G H E S T C R E AT U R E S O N T H E PLANET (AND THE MOON, TOO).

MICROPLASTICS FOUND IN ARCTIC SNOW

The first study to look at microplastics in snow has discovered the small pieces of plastic in Arctic snow. While microplastics have long been found in the Arctic, this study attempted to identify how the microplastics ended up in the snow to begin with. Researchers found significant microplastics in the “smallest size range” in the Arctic, indicating “significant contamination of the atmosphere.” Varnish and rubber were both found in the Arctic snow samples, as was polyethylene, which is found in grocery bags and children’s toys, and polyamide, which is used to make synthetic fabrics and carpets. The study concluded that the microplastics were carried to the Arctic by air and wind currents, but that more research is needed to understand the health effects of airborne microplastics.

Are we starting to sound like a broken record here? June 2019 made headlines for being the hottest June ever recorded, but that was nothing compared to what followed. July 2019, it turns out, has officially been deemed the hottest month on record ever, narrowly edging out July 2016 by about 0.07 degrees. The troubling title is measured by feeding temperature readings from weather balloons, satellites, buoys, and other sources into a computer model. Notably, the record heat comes without the influence of El Nino, which adds heat to the ocean and increases temperatures across the globe. July 2016, for example, was an El Nino year. “While we don’t expect every year to set a new record, the fact that it’s happening every few years is a clear sign of a warming climate,” Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist with Berkeley Earth, told the Washington Post.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LEGALIZES TOXIC CYANIDE BOMBS TO KILL WILDLIFE

In a nod of support to some ranchers and farmers, the Trump administration has reauthorized the use of cyanide bombs to kill wildlife. The bombs are spring-loaded traps containing sodium cyanide and are meant to kill nuisance animals that attack the livestock of private ranchers and farmers, including foxes, bears, coyotes, and birds. Environmental activists warn that the poison used in the bombs can contaminate the environment and have untended victims, such as other wildlife, pets and people. According to Wildlife Services data, the poison bombs killed 6,579 animals, primarily coyotes and foxes, in 2018, down from 13,232 animals the previous year. Hundreds of the deaths were of non-target animals such as raccoons, skunks and bear. OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

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EXERCISE PILLS

HIKE IN A BOTTLE “EXERCISE PILLS” STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE THEY CAN MATCH THE BENEFITS OF TIME SPENT OUTSIDE. B Y R YA N W I C H E L N S

“THAT’S ONE OF THE DUMBEST IDEAS EVER,"

claims Dr. Michael Merzenich. The idea in question? Exercise pills: the flash pan scientific wonder of 2017 which, based on studies completed on mice, promised a swallow-able alternative for getting some of the physical benefits of exercise. Merzenich, a professor emeritus and neuroscientist at the University of California San Francisco, doesn't share in the excitement. Merzenich has been studying the plasticity of the brain: the tendency of your brain to evolve and fine-tune itself. The brain's plasticity would suffer from socalled exercise pills, especially when compared to time spent outside.

THE WONDER DRUG

When Ronald Evans—a biologist at the Salk Institute—and his team rolled out their study on the drug GW501516 (known colloquially as “516”), the headlines read, “Exercise pill could deliver benefits of fitness in tablet form” and “Scientists Are Working on a Pill to Replace Exercise.” Evans’s experiments involved a pair of lab mice, one named “Couch Potato Mouse” and the other “Lance Armstrong Mouse,” both of which had been given an American diet of sugar and fat. One of the mice, which had not been allowed much exercise, had visibly gained weight. The other, also lacking exercise, appeared in much better shape. The only difference: Lance had his diet supplemented with 516. The drug, which simply-put is designed to recreate the same chemical changes that happen in the body after exercise, was heralded as a wonder drug and a futuristicyet-possible option for everyone, including busy executives without the time to exercise, those with medical issues that prevent them from exercising, truck drivers and others with long sedentary hours on the job, 14

and even elite athletes looking for a boost. In addition to weight loss, blood sugar decreases, and other chemical benefits, the drug allowed mice using it to run longer on a treadmill. But when it comes to completely replacing physical exercise— especially when that exercise comes from hiking or biking or another outdoor activity—the drug might leave a lot to be desired.

exercises, he says, train our brains to operate at a higher resolution, improve recognition, and speed up its ability to process the environment even more. “In order to continually grow it, you have to continually

HIKING FOR YOUR BRAIN

While exercise pills might replicate some of the physical benefits of exercise, something as simple as taking a hike still offers a lot that a drug can't, particularly when it comes to the brain, Dr. Merzenich explains. Keeping your brain in top shape requires exercising it, he says, and one of the best ways to do that is by going for a walk in the woods, which Merzenich contrasted with walking on pavement. “Every footfall is certain, there,” he said, compared to an uneven trail which requires millions of tiny recalculations by the brain, processing vision and other senses, then recalibrating for balance and control. Troubleshooting and navigating, looking for animals and plants, and dealing with the unexpected are all tasks human brains were originally doing constantly, but have since diminished, thanks to artificial aspects of civilization. “We used to be masters of our environment,” he said. “But now, you’re depriving yourself of thousands and thousands of [mental] exercises by living your life on pavement. Our brains love surprises.” These micro

BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019

challenge it and continually sustain it.” Even working out in gyms, he contends, isn’t exercising the mind like it needs, but the proposition of an exercise pill, he says, would be truly damaging—none of these brain benefits come from 516.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

That’s not to say drugs like 516 are useless. Particularly for people who are incapable of exercise—due to disease or injury, the elderly, or any one of a cadre of people who have a difficult time going for a hike—could benefit dramatically from an exercise pill, maintaining their bodies in ways that would have otherwise been impossible. Little progress on 516 has been made public since the initial study, but that one drug isn’t the only one taking advantage of the chemical benefits of exercise, without the exercise. More recently, a different study looked at

the hormone irisin, which is naturally released during physical activity and has been linked to fat burning, noting that it could also protect against mental decline and Alzheimers. “Although this study was only in mice, it adds to mounting evidence of the relationship between lifestyle factors, like physical fitness, and dementia,” said Dr. James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society. “We know that exercise can decrease a person’s risk of developing dementia, but still have lots to learn about its effect on cognitive decline.” The mental benefits lost by an exercise pill can be made up, at least in part, in other ways as well. Merzenich helped found Brain HQ, a web-based brain training and exercise platform designed to provide similar mental stimulation to outdoor exercise. According to Merzenich, it can be especially helpful to people who need to rapidly improve their mental function or those, similar to the target of the exercise pill, who aren’t able to stimulate and train their brain naturally. ”The biggest change we could see from an exercise pill might come in how we define exercise at all, in much the same way as how the concept of food has morphed into a vehicle for nutrients," says Nicola Twilley, author of the 2017 New Yorker story “A Pill to Make Exercise Obsolete." “A morning jog will be reclassified as a good source of beneficial chemicals; sports may be redesigned to optimize their molecular outcomes. A scientific understanding of the parts may well come at the expense of appreciating the immeasurable whole." A true exercise pill is still a long way off, and it's still far from replacing the benefits of exercise. And as Merzenich points out, there already is a readymade wonder drug accessible to everyone: outside.

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YOU LIVE IN THE SALAMANDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD SOUTHERN APPALACHIA SHELTERS MORE SPECIES OF SALAMANDERS THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET BY KYLE RITLAND

WALK INTO DR. MICHAEL SEARS’ CLASSROOM

at Clemson University, and you might see a global heat-map of salamander diversity projected across the screen. You’ll notice at once the anomaly—a world of cool blues and grays, punctuated by two small splashes of color: a brushstroke of simmering yellow smeared liberally up the east coast of North America, and, at its heart, in the bosom of the Appalachians, a warm, flaming ember of deep orange. It’s unexpected, and it glows like a smoldering secret. “Most people don’t realize,” Dr. Sears says, “that they live in a place where they can see more salamanders than anywhere on the planet. It’s the global hotspot for salamander biodiversity.” Some call it a futile task to determine the precise number of salamander species present in the southeast; taxonomic classification systems are imperfect, and certain species are often split into new groups, while others are re-combined. “The last number I saw was just north of a hundred species,” says Dr. Kyle Barrett, an Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Clemson. Depending on which approximation you consider, this means that roughly 20% of all world species can be found in the Southeastern United States—a fact that often goes overlooked. “It’s a relatively under-studied group,” Dr. Barrett says. “One of the things that drew me to them is that we just don’t know that much about them.” One thing we do know, however, is that salamanders play a crucial role in the environment.

“They’re the transition from invertebrates to vertebrates,” explains Dr. JJ Apodaca, Assistant Executive Director and Director of Science for the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy. “And they’re the most abundant vertebrate in the system.” And what, then, would happen if they were to disappear from this system? “You would see trophic collapse,” Kat Diersen warns. She’s the Southeast Representative for Defenders of Wildlife, and spends a large portion of her efforts on conservation projects related to these species. Here’s something else we know: salamanders are in trouble. “More than 50% of all salamanders are imperiled,” Dr. Apodaca explains. “And it could go either way. We’re really at this turning point.” A range of scourges, from climate change, to habitat destruction, to current and future pathogens, all threaten the treasure trove of salamander biodiversity sheltered here in the southeast. Yet, throughout the Blue Ridge and beyond, some of the greatest conservationists, biologists, and educators have begun to outline a path to survival for these unique amphibians and the ecosystems that rely on them. The only question that remains is this: can we stop this next extinction crisis before it begins? “There’s a range of potential futures out there,” Kat Diersen warns, contemplating the unknown roads ahead, “and it really does matter what we do.”

CLIMATE

“I think the next fifty to a hundred years are going to be interesting,” Dr. Sears says. Much of his work revolves around climate studies, and the potential impacts of change on species like these. And, while it’s difficult to accurately predict the effects of a changing climate, there are a few things we know with certainty. “One of those is that it’s going to get warmer,” says Dr. Barrett. “Another is that precipitation patterns are going to change—how they’re going to change is where the uncertainty lies. But those two changes coupled together are not good news for most amphibians.” “If you have long periods of drought,” Barrett continues, “especially with increased temperatures, these

changes are likely to restrict their range and the amount of time they have to forage, and that means less reproduction and population decline.” What makes this situation particularly dire to salamanders is their isolation—over the millions of years salamanders have evolved in the southeast, the various mountain ranges have acted as natural barriers to connectivity. Certain species prefer lower elevations while others prefer higher, and this separation has led to the emergence of unique, distinct populations in critically isolated regions. There are a handful of species, such as the Pigeon Mountain Salamander, that exist only on one or two mountaintops. “These are species that don’t move very much,” explains Dr. Apodaca, “and they’re tied to small geographic areas, so if the climate shifts drastically, we see really negative consequences.” “The idea is that as it gets warmer, they’ll just keep going up mountains to where it’s cooler,” says Dr. Sears. “But they’re going to run out of space at some point. And what makes that more dire here is that you’re losing little pockets of genetic diversity that don’t exist anywhere else. So if on that mountaintop is the only place you have that species, and it gets lost, that’s not coming back.” Unfortunately, there exists another critical impact that a changing climate may play for salamanders: it may open the door to a new threat never before seen on the North American continent.

PATHOGENS

“Most diseases have optimal conditions in which they thrive,” says Diersen. “As conditions here change, they may become favorable to novel

diseases and pathogens, introduced from outside. Climate change is going to make all of our critters more vulnerable to that future threat. And that’s a ticking time-bomb.” Pathogens—fungal infections in particular—are by no means an entirely new threat to southeastern salamanders. They’ve so far endured Bd (the well-known “Chytrid” fungus that continues to decimate global frog populations) and are at this very moment facing down a range of ranaviruses across the U.S. But there exists another, more formidable threat waiting like a marauding conquerer across the sea: BSal. “That’s the big one,” says Dr. Amanda Duffus. She’s a member of the Diseases, Pathogens & Parasites Task Team for the Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. “It originated in southeast Asia, and it was brought to Europe, they think, through the pet trade.” “It’s currently killing with 100% effectiveness certain salamandrids,” says Mark Mandica, Founder and Executive Director of the Amphibian Foundation. Mark also works with a BSal taskforce, and is familiar with many of the conservation practices that would become necessary should BSal indeed manage to cross the ocean. And Mark agrees: BSal coming to America would be devastating. “We’ve been operating under the assumption that it’s just a matter of time. That it will get here eventually. And that we need to be ready to act.” The Amphibian Foundation already has experience with the preservation of endangered salamanders—they’re the only captive breeding facility for

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WILDLIFE

the Frosted Flatwoods Salamander, a species that’s suffered a 90% loss since the year 2000. “At first we just focused on keeping them alive. We’ve done that, I’m happy to say, and now we have some very healthy salamanders. But they’ve never been bred in captivity, so that’s what we’re focusing on now.” The problem is that these programs are notoriously difficult to carry out successfully for a single species—not to mention the hundreds that would be impacted if BSal were to reach the southeast. “By the time we get involved in our captive propagation programs, in pulling animals from the wild to keep them from going extinct, that says that every possible plan has already failed,” Mark says. “It’s literally the last hope. And if that fails, the species goes extinct.”

HABITAT

“I can say this for basically any threat,” says Dr. Apodaca. “There’s really one way to prepare—and that’s to keep intact large populations with lots of genetic diversity. And habitat

destruction underlies all of this.” “A lot of species will tolerate an increase in a single stressor,” Barrett explains, “but then when you add a second or a third, that’s when you see sharp population declines.” “You open up a forest,” says Dr. Sears, “and it gets warmer. It gets drier. You decrease connectivity between populations.” As many resources as we devote to staving off pathogens like BSal, there’s still the likely probability that they’ll arrive nonetheless. In a similar fashion, climate change has already proven itself notoriously challenging to manage with the resources currently devoted to the effort. The preservation of habitat, therefore, stands as the last best hope for preserving the biodiversity of salamander species in the southeast. “Protecting the integrity of the habitat that these species rely on,” says Ben Prater, Southeast Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife, “is probably the most fundamental thing we can do to preserve these species.” “Over half of all people in the U.S. live in urban areas,” says Dr. Barrett.

“And we know there’s going to be pressure to develop—so can we at least make some

recommendations for a way to do it that won’t create these impenetrable barriers for salamanders?” Organizations like Tangled Bank Conservation, founded by Dr. Apodaca, have recently emerged to identify priority conservation areas, to determine where efforts ought to be concentrated in order to ensure optimal population connectivity and genetic diversity. Similarly, groups like Defenders of Wildlife work closely with public and private landowners to foster cooperation and compromise. “It is absolutely possible for communities to coexist sustainably with wildlife,” Kat says. “Part of good conservation for these underdog species is engaging landowners

where they are, understanding their needs, and presenting value to them in a way that creates winwin outcomes for communities and wildlife.” “If you think about the threats they’re facing now,” Ben adds, “many of them are truly novel. But I believe in the adaptive and resilient aspect of nature, and have always given credence to the idea that if we protect enough habitat and ensure the quality of those habitats, there will always be a future for salamanders.”

FUTURE

“For me, it goes deep,” says Ben Prater. “I grew up flipping rocks and logs in streams. And I can remember that sense of discovery and awe when I’d find this glistening, brilliantly colored animal living in the dirt.” This childhood connection to

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WILDLIFE

THREAT TO CUMBERLAND

the outdoors, relatable or not, is perhaps the best method of building relationships with these species. And today, it’s getting harder to come by. Patrick Brannon is the Outreach Coordinator for the Highlands Biological Station, and spends a great deal of his time in K-12 classrooms, working to build connections between students and salamanders. “A lot of these kids aren’t locals,” Brannon says, “and haven’t really experienced salamanders. And even the local ones don’t necessarily spend much time in the woods. So getting them outside, and showing them what’s there—especially the things you don’t normally see, the ones you have to dig for—and trying to get them enthusiastic is key.” Mark Mandica, too, has come to understand the importance of education and outreach—it’s now a priority of the Amphibian Foundation, which offers classes and internships to help foster connections with amphibians. “We have successfully put salamanders in the hands of people who didn’t know what a salamander was,” Mark says. “I think salamanders sell themselves if people just get to meet them.” Kat Diersen agrees, and believes salamanders to be, in many ways, a key to the door of conservation itself. “You’re unlikely to see a bear in the woods,” she says. “You can live your whole life and never see a bobcat.” She pauses, raises her hand, and holds it an inch from her nose. “But you can turn over a log, and you can put your face this close to a salamander. And there’s something so personal about staring intimately into the face of a creature that is wildly different from you. We have that here. If you know where to look, if you take the time to go out and do it, it’s there for you. No matter how slimy they are, no matter how weird they are, I have watched that a-ha moment transform someone from fear and skepticism to fascination and adoration.” She snaps her fingers and smiles. “Just like that. All you need is the novelty of that experience, and it changes you. These creatures are valuable because they can change people.”

ROCKETS OVER CUMBERLAND? HIKERS ENDANGERED BY PROPOSED SPACEPORT NEXT TO CUMBERLAND ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE BY CAROL RUCKDESCHEL

HIKERS IN THE CUMBERLAND ISLAND NATIONAL

Seashore may soon find themselves setting up camp below a rocket trajectory. From a site five miles away on the adjacent mainland, private companies will be launching rockets, with no established track record, directly over Cumberland Island—the country’s largest and wildest barrier island national park and a United Nations Global Biosphere Reserve. Dozens of species of endangered wildlife—including shore birds and sea turtles—rely on Cumberland Island’s ancient live oak forests, windswept marshes, and wild, undeveloped beaches. The island also attracts over 50,000 hikers and campers each year. Space exploration is important and valuable, but the proposed spaceport in Camden County is the worst possible site for a spaceport. The proposed site is a toxic dump owned by Dow Chemical that requires massive remediation. Previously, Morton Thiokol, Inc. manufactured tear gas, ordnance, and booster rockets on the site for decades. Those Thiokol-built rockets failed and caused the infamous shuttle Challenger to explode just 73 seconds into flight in 1986. Union Carbide purchased the site in the 1980s and produced highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas, the same gas responsible for a 1984 tragedy at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, that killed 20,000 people. Union Carbide also produced other pesticides on the site for decades. Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide and the site in 1999. Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division has detected at least 37 hazardous chemicals in the soil. Construction on this site could release unknown quantities of mercury, rocket fuel residues, pesticide wastes, and other known toxins and

carcinogens into the waterways, marshes, estuaries, aquifers, around Cumberland Island. That would have direct effects on the shrimp and seafood industry, recreation, and tourism of southern Georgia and northern Florida. The Camden County Commissioners are the motivating force behind the idea of a private spaceport, which they hope will further local economic development, even if diminishing the value of Cumberland Island National Seashore and endangering public health. So far, no companies have committed to use Spaceport Camden, and many other similar spaceports across the country remain unused. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has produced a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) which sanctions visitors to the park to remain on the island during launches. They are, in other words, disposable. No member of the public has ever been allowed to remain beneath the trajectory of a rocket. Nor has launching rockets over private homes and a national park with 50,000 annual visitors ever occurred. The danger of exploding rockets is too great. According to the FAA report, one to three explosions are expected to occur every two years. Fiery debris would rain down on Cumberland Island’s campsites, beaches, and

historic structures. Spills and explosions could contaminate the entire area for decades. What other national park or neighborhood in America faces the prospect of destruction every year-and-a-half as a result of the actions of its own local government? The FAA’s report failed to include a required hazard analysis for rocket explosions over Cumberland Island and the adjacent mainland, which would include estimates of human fatalities and impacts to fisheries. This lack of transparency with continued efforts to move ahead is troubling. How can the FAA decide that the interests of a commercial rocket company are more important than safety of citizens and their rights to visit a national park? Few people outside of southeast Georgia are aware of the proposed spaceport. The public needs to know what we may all soon lose: one of the country’s wildest and most beloved national parks could be in the fallout zone of exploding rockets. Check www.WildCumberland.org for updates. The FAA is ready to greenlight Camden County’s spaceport project. The Final Environmental Statement for the action has not been released, but the FAA has received an application for a Launch Operator’s License from Camden County. The countdown has begun.

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arnulfo's secret (Hint: there is no secret) WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE TARAHUMARA'S MOST FAMOUS RUNNER BY MICKEY MAHAFFEY

I FIRST MET TARAHUMARA RUNNER ARNULFO QUIMARE IN

2005 right after he crossed the finish line in the Ultramaratón Caballo Branco (80K) in Urique, Mexico. He had just won first place by outlasting American runner Scott Jurek. We sat on a bench outside Mama Tita’s restaurant in the center of town right after the race. He appeared bien tranquilo in body and soul. He hocked up a few spitballs and sipped water; a sheen of white dust powdered his hair and face, otherwise he seemed little worse for the wear. For over 7 hours he had run up and down river bluffs on dirt-packed roads; had skirted the edges of towering cliffs and had descended on rock-strewn trails where one misstep means serious injury, possibly death. In the second half of the race, the sun seethed into the canyon like the glow of a branding iron. I stared at his feet clad in huaraches (sandals), rivulets of cracks in thick callous. “Aren't you exhausted?” I begged. “Only a little bit, mainly in my thighs,” he shrugged, patting his legs. “You know this is a short race for Tarahumara.” “Short race? But you just ran 80 kilometers through one of the deepest canyons in the world!” “Sí, no?” He cackled, his deep-brown eyes sparkling. Arnulfo shocked the international, ultra community by defeating Jurek in Urique, the story made legend by the bestselling book Born to Run by Chris McDougall. At the time of the race, Jurek had established himself as one of the premier ultra

runners in the world by winning numerous prestigious races, setting records in most of them including Western States (7 times), the Spartathlon in Greece, a 153-mile race from Athens to Sparta (3), the Hard Rock Hundred Mile Endurance Run (2) and the Badwater Ultramarathon (2). Conversely, Arnulfo had only run (and won) two western-style ultra marathons in his life at the Ultramaraton de Los Canyones in Guachochi. He was more accustomed to racing while flinging a wooden ball with his foot as he ran in rarajipari, the ancient, traditional race of Tarahumara, that often covers distances of 100-150 kilometers. He had reigned as the champion of rarajipari in the Sierra Madre since he had turned 18, but western-style ultra marathons were totally new concepts. When Jurek arrived in Urique he had followed an intense training regimen and practiced an extreme vegan diet. He had worked with professional trainers and medical specialists. He toed the starting line wearing the best running shoes money could buy and carried a pouch around his waist with power bars and a Camelbak water container. Like all the foreigners, he warmed up extensively before the race. Arnulfo wore simple sandals made of tire rubber soles, tied to his ankles with leather straps, a white loincloth and a colorful, blousy top. He leaned against the wall of a building awaiting the call for the start of the race, joking and laughing with his friends. He never warmed up. He had not spent any time preparing for the race, no formal training whatsoever, and had lived on a simple diet of beans, corn and

S C O T T J U R E K A N D A R N U L F O Q U I M A R E R U N S I D E - B Y- S I D E T H R O U G H THE COPPER CANYONS OF MEXICO. PHOTO BY LUIS ESCOBAR.

chiles that he had grown in his fields. The reigning world champion ultra marathoner ventured into the Sierra Madre to test his mettle against the king of the indigenous runners. Jurek later told me he was shocked that in the end he could not catch Arnulfo. How is it possible that Tarahumara like Arnulfo, without any form of standard training regimen, can compete with world class distance runners, run 100 miles while flinging a wooden ball with his foot, even run deer to exhaustion? How can they stay so conditioned that they can walk 12 hours from the bottom of one canyon, cross the mountaintops and drop into another canyon to compete against welltrained athletes, and the next day win the top prizes by outrunning everyone? A few years later, I had the opportunity to ask Arnulfo these questions. We stood beside a fire at his home in Soriachique at the top of the mountains above Urique on a cold, windy morning in January. I was dressed in blue jeans, thermal underwear, sweater and a winter coat; still I huddled close to the fire to stave off the shivers. Arnulfo wore only a light jacket and a baseball cap, his legs beneath his loincloth skirt and his feet in huaraches bare to the wintry air. Silent and reverent we fixed our gaze on the tip of the sun peering into the canyon, casting waves of sublime colors across the rocky peaks. “Arnulfo, what is it that makes Tarahumara such OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

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BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019

extraordinary runners?” “Quien sabe? (Who knows?) Just because we are Tarahumara, I guess.” He grinned. “Of course, but why are you so motivated to run rarajipari races and compete in ultra marathons like the ones in Urique, Guachochi and other parts of Mexico?” He nudged a log to the center of the fire with the tip of his toe and stared at the flames like a diviner searching for the truest answer. “I love to run and my ability to run is God's gift,” he mused. “And running always helps me remember who I am as a human.” He shook his fist to enunciate the surety of his claims. “When we run and dance we give thanks to God.” He hesitated while he tossed a handful of wood chips into the fire pit. “And we win prize money!” He added with a big grin. I stared at his sandals that he had made from a slither of tire rubber and white leather straps that he had looped between his toes and had wrapped around his ankles. “Why don’t you run in shoes like the gringos?” “Because with my huaraches I can better feel the ground and the movement of the rocks with my feet.” I understood. I had walked thousands of miles on the same canyon trails as Arnulfo and on paths through the North Carolina mountains wearing sandals. I wanted my bare feet as close to direct contact with earth and rocks as possible. The canyon trails demand that one walk lightly over the rocky paths with agility and flexibility. In some places the

ARNULFO QUIMARE (LEFT) AND SILVINO CUBESARE (CENTER) REST AFTER COMPLETING A 50-MILE BALL-KICKING RACE.

paths are smooth, hard packed dirt, a joy to glide across but the majority of the trails are filled with unstable rocks. Without constant mindfulness the trails can be treacherous. “Do you ever run barefoot as some outsiders have claimed?” “Claro que no,” he laughed like he was unsure of my gringo sanity. His land is studded with a million thorns and sharp-edged stones, with scarred feet, gnarled toes and cracked nails bearing witness. “Would you like to run, or even live in another country like the United States or in a city like

Chihuahua so you would have more opportunity to compete in races? “No." “Why?" “Too many people in the city. Too much noise and the air smells bad.” He scanned the few simple homes spread along the perimeter of the canyon's rim and the rolling fields dotted with cows and goats. “I prefer to stay here in the canyons and live a normal life.” I asked him one more important question. I wanted to settle once and for all the running habits of Tarahumara athletes and correct the common misperceptions of outsiders. “Do you train for the races like the international and national runners?" “No." “Not at all?" “Solamente corro en carreras…o cuando me asusto,” he cackled. He said he only runs when he competes in races, or when he’s scared. “You don’t prepare for the races at all?” I wanted to make sure I had heard him correctly. “No. Nada.” Period. In his inimitable manner, Arnulfo exploded the popular myth that Tarahumara run all the time. They do run, walk, and trek everywhere they go, but they train for races very little. They don’t have the caloric luxuries of training hard year-round; most of their running is to get somewhere. Yet, when Arnulfo and other Tarahumara do race, they run a very long way and with an deeply rooted passion, even reverence, for the joy of being in motion.

OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

IN 2017, THE DAY AFTER ALEX HONNOLD COMPLETED his free-solo ascent of El-Capitan, climbing journalist and author Daniel Duane wrote in The New York Times: “I believe that it should be celebrated as one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever.” A National Geographic documentary film crew captured the four-hour 3,000 foot ropeless ascent— as well as the years of intense preparation Honnold put into climb. Released in theaters last fall, “Free Solo” won an Academy Award and grossed $21 million at the box office, making it the highest grossing National Geographic documentary of all time. A record-breaking 3.1 million viewers watched the premiere on the National Geographic Network. The documentary attracted viewers outside of the climbing and extreme-sports community. The visceral and primal spectacle of witnessing a man face imminent death attracted a broad audience. Honnold, already a celebrity in the climbing world, became a household name. It was an exercise in existential voyeurism, and freesoloing, the most taboo, dangerous and controversial styles of climbing, reached the mainstream vernacular. Will all the current fanfare directed towards freesoloing cause a surge in climbers to leave their ropes and bolts behind? We asked members of the Southern Appalachian climbing community for their thoughts on freesoloing.

AUSTIN HOWELL

THE FIGHT OVER FREE SOLOING HAS ALEX HONNOLD’S FREE SOLO CLIMB OF EL CAPITAN SPARKED MORE DAREDEVILS? AT LEAST ONE FREE SOLOIST HAS FALLEN TO HIS DEATH SINCE THE FILM WAS RELEASED. BY HART FOWLER

“When the rope is off, you can’t afford to slip,” explains free solo climber Austin Howell. Austin Howell was a rock climber for 12 years, 10 of which had been primarily as a free-soloist. He was the kid that climbed the tallest tree in hide and seek never to be found. He took up rock climbing at an indoor gym in college. After college, he worked day jobs that called for him to climb 300-foot cell towers, often in harsh weather. He became a proficient lead climber, requiring him to go long stretches between safe points. Unhooking the rope for the first time for Austin was not an epiphany; it was practical. He was half-way up a steep rock face, felt weighted down by the heavy bag of bolts and -zachary Lesch-Huie, the access fund the ropes on his back, and simply unhooked himself and passed the gear to his climbing partner. “Soloing in one way is the most obvious way in the universe,” he explained, speaking proudly of John Muir in 1888 climbing Cathedral Peak. “Essentially he free-soloed that cliff to the top of it, and free-soloed it back down.” For centuries, Pueblo people had built houses into the sides of tall cliffs without any safety devices. Carabiner and belays didn’t arrive until 1933. “Subjectively there’s nothing safe about it. There’s risk and there’s consequence. The consequence is very obvious,” he said.

"We haven't seen an increase in climbers out there trying to be Alex Honnold."

One month after talking with BRO, Howell, age 31, fell 80 feet to his death on a free solo climb at Linville Gorge.

Sasha DiGiulian

“I do not free solo,” says Sasha DiGuilian, a world-renowned professional climber from Virginia who spent much of her youth climbing in the Red River Gorge. “Rocks can break and incidences out of my own control can occur. To do this would be selfish to my family and my loved ones because I can handle my own death, but I would not want to put those close to me through the heavy weight of loss.” The 26-year-old is known for her free climbs, different from free soloing, in which the climber may use climbing equipment only to protect against injury during falls and not to assist progress. In 2015, she became the first woman to free climb Magic Mushroom (7c+), one of the most difficult routes on the north face of the Eiger Mountain in Switzerland. “If I am in a situation in which free soloing is the only option to reach the summit, and there is not a safer way, there will be an occasion that I may embark. However, it is not something that I seek out.”

JESSE ANDERSON

SASHA DIGUILIAN ON FREE SOLO: SASHA DIGULIAN WROTE THIS ON INSTAGRAM THE NIGHT FREE SOLO WON THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM. Last night Free Solo won an Oscar! First of all, huge congratulations to Jimmy Chinn, Alex Honnold, and all of the crew involved. Needless to say, an accomplishment of a lifetime and I know this came with a lot of hard work and perseverance. It is momentous for me to see a climbing film recognized at the highest of high regards. With all the hype and attention that is sure to come from this, I felt it was important for me to speak about the very specific differences between this form of climbing (free soloing) and the approach the vast majority of climbers take to the sport itself. What Alex does when free soloing is by nature, very risky. And while in my career I have had instances where a form of this has been necessary it has also been a choice that came as a last resort and has happened less than a handful of times over my 20 years of climbing. Free soloing is a style of climbing that a very small percentage of climbers partake in as there is no higher level of risk: life or death. I say all this with the caveat that it is not the sole form of climbing that Alex does. While I am so excited by the recognition this film has received, I also feel like I have spent a big portion of my career trying to educate people unfamiliar with climbing about our sport. A goal of mine has been to demonstrate that anyone can do it, and that it is a safe and welcoming activity. In my opinion Alex is one of the greatest climbers of all time to have the capacity to realize all that he has accomplished. However, I also just want to make it clear, which I do feel like this film has done a good job of, the separation that free soloing has from the general form of climbing that I encourage all of you to experience at some point in your life. But when you do, especially if it your first time: please be sure to seek out guidance from a trained and knowledgeable climber at your local gym or local crag. Take a course in how to enter the spot safely and with the proper training and equipment. This is an incredible and inclusive sport that, when approached correctly, is safe and fun for everyone. •

Jesse Anderson, 32, has been a park ranger at Pilot Mountain State Park for six years and a climber for a dozen, but never as a free soloist. “I understand the mantra with the connection, the rock, the silencing of the mind through free soloing, but it is not for me,” Anderson said. He hasn’t seen an uptick in free solo climbing on his watch at Pilot Mountain after the Honnold documentary. “No matter the preparation, the unfortunate truth is that accidents happen, and that’s why people use ropes.” The free soloist has the freedom to leave the ropes behind, but anyone else climbing the same crag that day has the unexpected risk of witnessing brazen climbing and potential loss of life. “If a free soloist starts climbing beside another climbing party that is roped up, it is unsettling,” says climbing filmmaker and photographer Adam

AUSTIN HOWELL FREE SOLO CLIMBS IN THE LINVILLE GORGE. PHOTO BY JESS DADDIO.

Nawroot. He noted how Jimmy Chin, producer and principal shooter of Free Solo (also an advanced climber and one of Howell’s close friends), chose in advance to pull the crew from the Huber Boulder Problem, the most risky climbing sequence of the ascent. “The Boulder Problem is the single reason nobody had even considered free-soloing [the] Freerider [ascent of El Capitan],” Caldwell told Men’s Journal last year. “It took Alex almost a decade to get comfortable on it. Otherwise, he’d probably have free-soloed it in 2009.” Chin and Honnold knew that if Honnold was going to fall, the Boulder Problem would be the most likely place, and Chin didn’t want a videographer to

have to witness Honnold fall out of frame. “If you’re a free-soloist and you show up at a crag and you start free soloing and don’t clear it with everyone they might watch you die right there. It is unfair to the other people around you.”

ZACHARY BOPP

Zachary Bopp agreed. He is the Outdoor Program Supervisor at REI in Chattanooga who leads climbing classes. “When you encounter a free soloist on a crag, you do not know whether they have been dialing in the climb as Honnold did for El Capitan, or they just decided to do it with little or no forethought,” says Bopp. “It can be hard on other climbers as to OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

whether they should speak future work. Lesch-Huie up and say something. has had to ease worries It is the most unsafe due to similar concerns in climbing there is, especially the past. —Mike Reardon, Carolina Climbers Coalition coming from an instructor “We haven’t seen an background,” says Bopp. increase in climbers out “We set ground rules from the get-go to there trying to be Alex Honnold,” he says. manage the risk. We tell everyone the rules and The Carolina Climbing Coalition (CCC) was expectations so we don’t have to correct and established after a climber fell to his death in address the daredevil style student.” 1994. Climbers mistakenly worried that state parks A natural fear of falling tends to weed out the would be closed to climbing as the result of a majority of potential free soloists. Once a climber fatality at Crowder's Mountain. State park officials reaches about 15 feet, they do not proceed and climbers met in Charlotte and determined without ropes. It is a consensus in the climbing that a park closure was not planned and that a world that free soloing is the “fringe of the fringe,” coalition would best serve the interests of both a tiny community growing smaller in the current climbers and park officials. In January 1995 almost climbing boom of indoor gym climbers that has led 100 area climbers voted unanimously to create the to climbing’s debut in the 2020 Olympics. Even coalition to help preserve climbing access in the with the inherent risks to both the climber and Carolinas. those who may be unintended witnesses of a fatal fall, the question of regulating free solo climbing is widely seen as a moot point due to its rarefied nature. Mike Reardon was appointed Executive Director “Even back to movies like Cliffhanger, potential of the CCC last February. He described the land managers will bring up climbing without charitable organization’s main mission is ropes, and it is an opportunity for us to make maintaining access to various areas by stewarding an educational point, that this style of climbing trails and working on bolt replacement. They also is really a televised phenomenon for the most collaborate with landowners to open new areas to part,” says Zachary Lesch-Huie, Southeast climbing. regional director for The Access Fund, a national “If it is something that affects access, then it climbing advocacy and conservation organization. is something we would take a stance on. We’re Naturally, one would think Austin Howell’s recent certainly not the climbing police who tell people death and the popularity of Free Solo could spook how they should go climb.”

"We're not the climbing police telling people how they should go climb."

MIKE REARDON

Mike Reardon shares the name with one of the most revered of free soloists. In 2007 the other Mike Reardon fell to his death free soloing a cliff in Ireland. After he fell into the cold water, a rogue wave took him away and he was never found. He was 41 at his death, Austin Howell was 31. Howell spoke and wrote regularly about Reardon as somewhat of a ghost-mentor to him. Howell had completed hundreds of free solo ascents across the country. One of his videos, documenting a free solo ascent completely naked save for a cowboy hat and boots, made it onto MTV’s Ridiculousness. With the growing attention being paid to free soloists after Free Solo, he had begun to attract a larger following within the booming danger-sport landscape, alongside the skyscraper parkour and perilous selfies taken atop towers and on cliff edges. He had begun talks with a potential filmmaker to make a documentary about his exploits. Howell got into climbing through a gym-wall in college. He excelled and began going to the gym regularly. During that time, he won a rope and safety equipment after participating in a raffle during a climbing exhibition. He told me how this led him to discover a new world of climbing outdoors. He quickly became a certified lead climber, and outdoor climbing took over his life. It was acquiring safety gear that led him into outdoor climbing. It was putting aside that gear that took his life prematurely.

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ANDREW ALLI, ALEX DUNN, AND KITT WEST H E L P M A I N TA I N 5 0 M I L E S OF TRAILS IN RICHMOND, VA . / P H O T O B Y E L L E N KANZINGER.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE TRAIL MAINTAINERS BY ELLEN KANZINGER

hether a trail is one mile or 1,000 miles, in a city or in the middle of a forest, someone has to take care of it. Someone has to clear the fallen trees after a storm or put in a water bar to mitigate erosion so you and I can get outside. BRO hit the road with two maintenance crews to get a feel for all the work that goes into keeping trails open to the public.

JAMES RIVER PARK SYSTEM (RICHMOND, VA.)

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Andrew Alli has seen the exponential growth of the James River Park System firsthand as a trail user, environmental science student at VCU, and now as a trails technician. “We’re seeing more diversity, all ages, all walks of life, all colors,” he said. “I call it the glue of the city.” Alli got his start working on trails at Powhatan State Park. There, he was able to get into the intricacies and science behind designing and maintaining trails. When a position opened up at James River Park, he was ready to bring what he learned back home. “We’re in the middle of Richmond, but you can go into the middle of the park, not see anything man-made, and really feel like you're immersed in wilderness,” Alli said. “Anything from boating, to trail

using, sightseeing, to hanging out on the river. We really have it all. Class 4 and 5 rapids, really technical singletrack mountain biking. Whatever you’re looking for, you can probably find it in the park. I’m still finding parts in the park that I never knew existed.” Behind the park, which sees more than two million visitors a year, a dedicated staff of trails technicians are making sure visitors can continue to enjoy the space. “There's a lot more that goes on in trail maintenance than people think,” Alli said. “We have to take in the local hydrology, the users, the local habitat. It really requires knowledge in a lot of different fields.” With so many visitors, a lot of time is spent addressing social trails. When users take the most direct route from point to point—rather than the most sustainable route—informal trails are created that are susceptible to erosion. Michael Burton, the city’s Trails and Greenways Superintendent, said they deal with any number of other problems, including storm water runoff due to all of the concrete surrounding the park, people using wet trails, off-leash dogs, and cyclists not yielding the right of way. “We have all the normal issues that people tend to have on trails, everything is just condensed and amplified here,” he said. “Even if it’s a small

percentage of people that don’t realize it’s an issue or choose to use trails when they really shouldn’t, it’s a small percentage of a big group of people. Some common sense and courtesy goes a long way on the trails.” As with any trail crew, the work tends to vary depending on the season. In the cooler months when less people are on the trail, they focus on bigger projects. This past April, the crew dug new trail to finish connecting the North Bank Trail. “That’s been on the wish list for a long, long time,” Burton said. “People love new trail. That project, a lot of people got really excited about because that was the last piece of the downtown loop that wasn’t singletrack. It really makes for a better overall trail experience. And it increases the safety. Now the trail’s not up in the neighborhoods and there’s not car traffic to contend with.” Once it starts warming up, the crew goes into more of a reactionary mode dealing with an increase in visitation and vegetation. Because most of the trails are multi-use, the crew spends a lot of time thinking about how to make the trails more accessible for runners, bikers, and dog walkers alike. “Instead of just cutting the branches that are growing into the trail that would hit you in the face, there’s a lot of places where we can prune longer OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

distance sightlines,” Burton said. “We’re always looking at places where we can prune both sides of the tree that’ll allow you to see around the corner better. We’re always looking for areas we can put in passing spots, places where we can create additional room in the trail tread to where people can get past each other easier.” The fact that mountain bikers are still allowed on the trails is unique to the Richmond trails in comparison to other urban trail systems. “Once they reach a certain amount of usage, mountain bikers wind up getting run off from the trails because there’s too much potential for conflict,” Burton said. “A big part of what I view my job as is protecting mountain bikers’ access to these trails. The mountain biking community has been the driving force in Richmond for the construction of these trails. So, they’ve earned the right to use these trails.”

MEETING THE CITY’S NEEDS

2019 has been a transition year for the trail crew. Whereas trail operations used to fall under the James River Park System, the city of Richmond decided to restructure and make Trails and Greenways its own division under Parks and Recreation. Burton said the change was made so the department could direct more effort into other parks in the area beyond the James River. “We’re expanding our reach,” he said. “We’re doing some maintenance and improvements to some trails that, in the past, have gotten a little less attention. James River Park gets the majority of the volume, usage, and it’s the trails that Richmond is known for. But there are a lot of other parks, like Pine Camp, Brian Park, Powhite Park, that we’re able to make improvements to trail systems." The crew is responsible for 50 miles of trails and greenways in the city, 21 of which are in the James River Park. Alex Dunn, one of the newest additions, has done trail work across the country. After doing a stint in AmeriCorps, she joined the National Park Service and worked on trail crews for Acadia, Yosemite, and Saguaro National Park. Like Alli, Dunn was excited to return to her hometown while doing the work she loved. “A lot of the work is very similar,” she said “It is keeping trails safe for users and mitigating erosion. Regionally, there are different climates and different terrains, but I would say the work is pretty similar. When I was in Arizona, I was actually mule-packing. We don’t do that here.” As a city trail crew, most of the job sites are easily accessible by a truck loaded up with tools for any number of duties, including stonework, carpentry, putting up new signs, and taking out downed trees. “This is a line of work where you learn something new every day, which is exciting,” Dunn said. “Variety is the spice of life.” While Richmond now has a paid trail crew of four full-time employees and 2 seasonal employees, the department still relies on volunteers to help keep the trails open. Kitt West, who started out as a volunteer before he was hired as a full-time technician, said the support from the community is key. “I feel like everyone thinks the city has all this money and they’ll take care of that,” he said. “It really is the volunteers that do it. That was one thing with 32

BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019

ANDREW ALLI ADJUSTS T H E R O C K P AT H T O IMPROVE A RIVER CROSSING IN FOREST H I L L PA R K . / P H O T O B Y ELLEN KANZINGER

North Bank, there was little old ladies and kids out there digging trail, and it was humbling to see that. It wouldn’t have happened without them. Everyone’s perception that we have all this money and we can go out and fix things is just not the case. We’re on a razor thin budget, and it wouldn’t happen without volunteers that care about the park.”

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

From Georgia to Maine, hundreds of volunteers help keep the Appalachian Trail open and accessible to hikers year-round. They are volunteers like Rosie and Ronnie Koskovich who traveled from Missouri to do work on the trail. Paul Curtin was inspired by his thru hike to maintain a section of the trail, and the hundreds of other volunteers have been moved to give back to this storied trail in some way. “Trails don’t maintain themselves,” said Josh Reynolds, a crew leader for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Konnarock Trail Crew. “It’s fun, but it’s also important work. For anyone who enjoys hiking on trails, it’s something to keep in the back of your mind that this trail didn’t magically appear here. These steps weren’t just deposited by the glaciers. People worked on this, and you can do it too. It’s work that lasts for years. And I think it really deepens my appreciation for trails when I go hiking on my own. I’m thinking about how this was built, all the work that went into that, and how could it maybe be improved. I think it’s good to remember that.” Maintenance of this 2,192-mile trail requires coordination between dozens of agencies and organizations as the trail crosses state and county lines. The ATC works with the land management agencies, like state parks and the Forest Service, that oversee the public land the trail runs across to ensure everything is managed properly and everyone has the

support they need. The ATC also partners with 31 local maintaining clubs that each take care of a section. Some of the clubs are larger and have paid staff, others rely solely on volunteers. Many of these clubs also help maintain other trails in their area beyond the A.T. Josh Kloehn, a resource manager out of the ATC’s Roanoke office, said many of these maintaining clubs have been around since the early days of the trail. “These are the folks that do the heavy lifting, the day to day stuff,” he said. “They clear the nasty blow downs after ice storms. They make sure there’s no muddy spots on the A.T., that the shelters are picked up from litter, and replace signs that are worn and rotten. They do pretty much 99 percent of the work.” Within the local clubs, section maintainers and trail crews handle things like trimming branches and clearing water bars to make sure the trail stays open. They are the eyes and ears of the trail, responding to incidents as they happen. Paul Curtin, who oversees the section maintainers and an overnight crew for the Carolina Mountain Club, said trail maintenance provides a way to make an instant impact. “Here’s 100 yards of trail that we’ve improved, and we did it all today,” he said. “You don’t have to wait a week or month to see what’s going to happen down the road.” As with any organization that relies on volunteers to run the programming, many trail clubs are spread thin across many different roles. “We have a hard time getting people to come out the first time,” Curtin said. “We have all sorts of people that express interest but then they never get in their car and drive to the trailhead. Once they do that, they almost always have a good time. You learn some new skills. You get to do some stuff that you don’t normally get to do, like smash up rocks with sledgehammers or split with an ax.” Those that do make it out tend to be retirees who have the time to give. “That’s just the way it is,” Curtin said. “We’d love for that to change. But the reality is working people are busy. When I was working, I wasn’t working on the trails either. When you have a retired workforce, those people are going to succumb to injuries and, at a certain point, just can’t do it anymore. We’ve got people in their 80s going out there and working on the trail. That’s great if you can do that, but a lot of people can’t. So that means we need to replenish our ranks.”

KONNAROCK TRAIL CREW

The ATC also sponsors six volunteer trail crews to handle larger projects. These crews spend a week rehabbing or relocating sections of trail that require more specialized work and tools. The process to getting one of the trail crews out to a site starts as a proposal from one of the local clubs or land managing agencies. From there, it typically takes about five years for the project to go through an environmental impact study and be reviewed by various different agencies. Konnarock Crew was founded in 1982 as more public land became available and the ATC had the ability to move the trail route.

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“In the old days, we just wanted to put the trail on the land and get a connection from Georgia to Maine,” Kloehn said. “That usually meant the ridgelines and the land that the farmers didn’t want. The trail was steep, not necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing, the most recreationally pleasing. Sometimes the footpath was just a way to get through 20 miles. It didn’t really take into account the experience.” Today, there are six crews that vary in difficulty. The Smokies Wilderness Elite A.T. Crew (SWEAT), which handles issues in the remote backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is considered the most challenging crew. They backpack in everything they will need for the week, including food, tools, and shelter, anywhere from six to 11 miles over rough terrain. On the other side, Konnarock is more of a car camping experience. “Konnarock, which is sort of one of the beginner trail crews that ATC operates, is a bit more cushy,” Kloehn said. “We have camping chairs, so we don’t have to sit on the ground. We have a big cold cooler where we have gallons of cold milk for cereal, fresh fruits and veggies, and cold cuts. It is not a rough experience outside of the work day.” The ATC welcomes volunteers of all abilities, no matter your camping, backpacking, or trail maintaining experience. The program provides all of the food, equipment, instruction, and transportation from the basecamp. All volunteers have to do is show up ready to put in work. “It’s coming out and volunteering with a complete stranger that has a different trajectory and life experience than you had,” Kloehn said. “And it all really doesn’t matter. You’re all crapping in the woods. You’re all eating the same beans and rice or Mediterranean pasta dish for dinner. You’re all huddled under the same rain tarp when it’s thundering and lightning and has been pouring for hours. You’re all sweating. You’re all cursing the heat and humidity. But you’re all there for the same goal. So, there is a real natural bond that forms just because, for whatever reason, you wanted

to come out here.” Rosie Koskovich got her start doing trail maintenance with the Ozark Trail Association in Missouri. In 2013, she and a group of OTA members volunteered with the Konnarock Crew for a week. After that experience, Koskovich knew it was something she wanted to do with her daughter, Ronnie. “It was something I wanted to share with her because I just loved it so much,” she said. “The trail has kind of been our thing. It’s been our time together, it clears our head, and we have wonderful adventures.” This summer, the mother and daughter were finally able to make it out to the trail together. “She would always come back just ranting and raving about it,” Ronnie said. “For the last two years now, I told her that I would find a way to get out here and I wasn’t able to. So, this year we decided we were just going to make it work one way or another. Having a group of really strong women around me who taught me how to build and maintain trails in Missouri really inspired me to keep learning and see what else there was out there to do.” After years spent hiking and enjoying the trails, the

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Koskovichs now find themselves spending more time on maintaining the trails. “The A.T. is really like a highway,” Rosie said. “It is so well loved and used. That’s why it is necessary to come in and do these rehab projects so it’s still there for the next generation to know and love.” At the end of the week together, mother and daughter returned to Missouri knowing they had put in the work. “I remember walking away from it, and I kept turning around to look at it,” Ronnie said. “I didn’t want to forget what we had done. I snapped a couple of pictures, but they don’t even do it justice. I think that my memory of actually being out there on the trail, that one on one time with Mom in particular, that’s not something I can get anywhere else.” Check out a behind the scenes look at the maintainers who help keep the James River Park System and Appalachian Trail open at blueridgeoutdoors.com.

LOOKING TO GET OUT ON THE TRAIL AND DO SOME WORK YOURSELF? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER TRAIL MAINTAINING ORGANIZATIONS OR LOOK FOR ONE NEAR YOU. Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards SAWS offers stewardship opportunities in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia, and Virginia throughout the year. Look out for seasonal job opportunities on the trail as well. 34

Palmetto Conservation Corp Young adults, ages 18 to 25, have the opportunity to work on the Palmetto trail and other greenways in South Carolina while preparing for a career in land management or other fields of study.

BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019

West Virginia Scenic Trails Association The organization promotes existing trails, including the Allegheny and Mary Ingles Trail, in addition to the construction of new ones.

Southeast Conservation Corps Conservation Legacy is encouraging the next generation of trail maintainers and conservationists to get outside and get their boots dirty.

Red River Gorge Trail Crew Check out one of the monthly work outings in Kentucky.

Mid-Atlantic Trail Crew Work on a section of the A.T. for a week or two with another beginner crew from the ATC.

Mountain Club of Maryland Help maintain trails from the A.T. to Patapsco Valley State Park.

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Mountain Getaway Guide UNIQUE LODGING OF THE BLUE RIDGE

BY ELLEN KANZINGER

Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking to make one last trip this fall or starting to make plans for next year, BRO set out to find getaways like no other in the region. S E N E C A S TAT E F O R E S T ( W.V A . )

Built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower at Seneca State Forest was constructed to spot fires before they got out of control. New technologies eventually rendered the fire tower, and many others around the country, obsolete. But in 2015, the fire tower reopened as a lodging destination for guests to escape the city lights and sleep among the stars.

T H E T H R O N Y M O U N TA I N FIRE TOWER IN S E N E C A R O C K S S TAT E F O R E S T, W. VA . , O F F E R S A C C O M M O D AT I O N S 6 5 FEET OFF THE GROUND.

BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019

At 65 feet tall, the tower provides a 360-degree view of the mountains and valleys of the Monongahela National Forest. Be prepared to climb the 69 steps to get up to your lodging for the night. Although the tower only sleeps up to four guests, there are other camping and lodging options in the state forest if you have a larger group or don’t like heights. The pioneer cabins offer a trip back in time as these wooden structures do not have electricity or running water. Spend your days hiking and biking over 23 miles of trails, or go for a swim in Seneca Lake and the Greenbrier River.

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: $75 a night DON’T FORGET: A light source. Natural is the only kind of

light provided.

RESERVATIONS: The tower is only open for overnight

stays between May and October. Make your reservations up to a year in advance as nights go fast.

THE CANAL QUARTERS (MD.)

From 1850 to 1924, lock tenders and their families lived in a series of lockhouses built along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal as they supervised and tended to the boats that would come through. Today, seven of these historic houses have been turned into guest lodging to preserve the history of the canal and the people who helped run it. Each of the lockhouses sleeps up to eight guests and comes with varying degrees of amenities. The rustic cabins run similar to when they were first built without electricity and running water. Other lockhouses have been upgraded to include the full amenities, including heat and A/C. Stay in all seven cabins to learn about the history of different time periods. During your visit, you’ll be just steps off of the C&O Towpath and a world of hiking, cycling, climbing, and paddling in the National Historical Park.

LOCK HOUSE 10 ALONG THE C&O CANAL IN MARYLAND. PHOTO COURTESY C&O CANAL TRUST B E L O W : P L AT F O R M CAMPING THE OKEFENOKEE NWR.

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: Cost ranges from $110 a night for the

rustic lockhouses to $160 a night for the full amenities. DON’T FORGET: Bring your own linens, pillows, towels, and food. RESERVATIONS: Availability depends on the lockhouse and amenities but can fill up six months in advance.

O K E F E N O K E E N AT I O N A L WILDLIFE REFUGE (GA.)

Journey through the cypress forests to the secluded overnight shelters of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Pack everything you’ll need for your stay in your kayak or canoe and take off on one of the water trails, varying in difficulty. As a wildlife refuge, this swamp was protected to support the wildlife of the area and their habitat. Susan Heisey, a supervisory refuge ranger, said Okefenokee is home to between 12,000 to 15,000 American Alligators. “At one time, American Alligators were an endangered species,” she said. “So, having a large wetland habitat that’s protected like the Okefenokee was integral to the American Alligator’s protection and recovery. They’re no longer on the endangered

species list.” As the largest intact freshwater wetland in North America, you should also look out for the Redcockaded Woodpecker, an endangered species, herons, and bears during your trip.

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: $16 per person, per night DON’T FORGET: Sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and

plenty of water. You can also download the Discover Nature Wilderness app for maps of the water trail system. You will be able to find your location in the refuge even when you lose cell service. RESERVATIONS: You can reserve a campsite up to two months in advance at recreation.gov.

C A S TAWAY C A B O O S E ( W. VA . )

All aboard the Durbin Rocket for a getaway in the Castaway Caboose. A Heisler No. 6 locomotive pulls the renovated caboose car through the mountains of the West Virginia wilderness to your spot for the night. The conductor will drop you off at a rail spur where you can enjoy the solitude of the location for the night. This Wabash Railroad car, formerly used in revenue freight service in the mid 1900s, comes equipped with a full-sized shower, a load of firewood, and beds for four adults. Spend your time swimming, fishing, and hiking along the Greenbrier River and exploring the Monongahela National Forest. At the end of the day, OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

T H E C A S TAWAY C A B O O S E I S D R O P P E D O F F AT A R A I L S P U R F O R T H E N I G H T. B E L O W : T H E P AT C ' S R O B E R T H U M P H R E Y C A B I N I N E L K T O N , VA . PHOTO BY MARTHA REYNOLDS

build a campfire in the outside picnic space and fall asleep to the sounds of the forest.

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: $330 for a night. Each additional night is

discounted.

DON’T FORGET: There is no cell service at your remote

site

RESERVATIONS: Recommended eight to ten months in

advance. Weekends sell quicker.

P O T O M A C A P PA L A C H I A N T R A I L C L U B C A B I N S ( PA . , M D. , W. VA . , A N D VA . )

The PATC maintains about 1,100 miles of trail, including part of the Appalachian and Tuscarora Trail. They also take care of 42 cabins across the region, available for rent throughout the year. Appreciate the history of these cabins, many of them built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, local moonshiners, and PATC members. Spend the night at one of six cabins in Shenandoah National Park. Explore more than 200,000 acres of protected land by foot on the 500 miles of trails or by car along Skyline Drive. View the park from Mutton Top, located on High Top Mountain. Stay in Tulip Tree, a cabin constructed by PATC volunteers using native materials and primitive hand tools in the 1990s. Take a trip to Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania and bunk in a former ranger’s cabin. These cabins can fit anywhere from four to 14 guests, so choose one that suits your needs the best. Be prepared to hike in your supplies anywhere from 100 yards to four miles to most of the cabins.

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: $25 to $175 per night depending on

amenities.

DON’T FORGET: Cabins are maintained entirely by

volunteers. Help keep them clean and leave them as you found it.

RESERVATIONS: 17 of the cabins are open to the

public. An additional 25 cabins are available for PATC members only.

CHARIT CREEK LODGE (TENN.)

Located in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Charit Creek Lodge is only accessible by foot, bike, or horseback. According to the National Park Architecture Society, the lodge may be the oldest operating lodge in the National Park System. The original cabin, built in 1817, is still a part of the structure. Immerse yourself in the woods when you stay in a suspended tree tent. Pack your sleeping bag and spend the night off the ground. Or take advantage of several rustic cabins with enough room for anywhere from two people up to 12. Either way you choose to stay, you’ll be surrounded by nature. The full-service package includes two homemade meals featuring ingredients grown on the property. Breakfast and dinner are served family style. Explore all the Cumberland Plateau and Big South Fork has to offer, from whitewater paddling and mountain biking to hiking and rock climbing. All of which are easily accessible just a few miles from the lodge.

per person for a cabin. $20 discount during the week. DON’T FORGET: There is no electricity, phone service, or Wi-Fi at the lodge. RESERVATIONS: Weekends book up to a year in advance.

wanting to get away. Neville Harris, who took over the hostel from her grandmother, said she emphasizes community among her guests through the preparation of communal breakfast and dinner. “It’s not that they just come, they stay, they leave,” she said. “I request that people participate in the cleanup of the space. I request they participate in their experience. They leave feeling like they take ownership of the space.” Meals include organic vegetables grown on site and homemade bread baked daily. In addition to offering a room to stay just a half mile off of the Appalachian Trail, the hostel is located in the perfect spot for other outdoor recreation. Bring your own mountain bike or rent one from a local outfitter and hit the trails nearby. Explore the river at the base of the mountain. Ask Harris for a yoga class or private art lesson. Read and visit with other guests on the porch.

WO O D S H O L E H O ST E L ( VA . )

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: $60 per person in a tree tent. $80 to $120

Located a mile and a half from their closest neighbor and surrounded by the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, Woods Hole Hostel sees a mix of section hikers, thru hikers, and people just

PRICE RANGE: $22 per night for a bed in the bunkhouse,

$98 a night for an indoor room. Long distance hikers receive a discounted rate. A sliding scale is also available for those who cannot afford to pay full prices. OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

DON’T FORGET: Contribute to the Broke Hiker Jar to help

out hikers on a budget. RESERVATIONS: April through June are the busy months as northbound hikers pass through. The rest of the year tends to be quieter.

C O N G A R E E N AT I O N A L PA R K (S.C.)

Experience the old-growth forests and swamps of Congaree National Park for a weekend. Hike in your supplies to the Bluff Campground or paddle in to a backcountry spot. This park is ideal for those looking to rough it and live without the trappings of modern life for a few days. Motorized transportation is not allowed past the parking lot at the visitor center. Walk 2.4 miles of boardwalk as it loops around Weston Lake and Congaree floodplain. An additional 25 miles of hiking trails are accessible throughout the wilderness. Paddle the marked canoe trail on Cedar Creek to view the park by water. Keep an eye out for river otter, turtles, the occasional alligator while you are out there.

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: Campground sites range from $5 for an

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individual site to $20 for a group site. Backcountry camping is free, permit required. DON’T FORGET: Be prepared for any kind of weather. And insects, including mosquitos, ticks, deer flies, and chiggers. RESERVATIONS: Up to six months in advance. Busy seasons are March through early June and late September through November.

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R E D R I V E R G O R G E O U S ( K Y. )

Choose from a variety of overnight options at this family-run lodging destination, now in its third generation of caretakers. Thrill seekers will enjoy a stay in one of the treehouses high up in the forest canopy, complete with spring-fed hot tubs, slides, skylights, suspended hammocks, and wrap-around porches. Heights not your style? Disconnect and relax in one of the off the grid cabins. Other lodging includes hike in only, full amenity cabins, and easy road access to fit your needs. Built in the Red River Gorge area and Daniel Boone National Forest, outdoor adventure is waiting for you right out your back door. While you’re visiting, soar above the trees on a zipline tour, horseback ride on mountain trails, rock climb in the gorge, raft the river, or visit Natural Bridge.

[almost] to yourself. Most of these sites are only accessible by boat, although a few you can drive, hike, or horseback ride to. Know what primitive camping means before you book this site. No one will be coming around to check on you during your stay. If you’re looking for something a little more structured, spend the night at one of four campgrounds onsite or rent a houseboat for the weekend. Take advantage of all the recreational opportunities on the lake, from fishing for smallmouth bass and scuba diving to hiking along the 620 miles of shoreline. Watch for the bald eagles known to nest in the area.

Things to Know Before You Go

PRICE RANGE: $70 to $600 a night depending on the

structure and amenities. Prices are lower in January and February during the offseason. DON’T FORGET: Decide what level of adventure and solitude you’re looking for before making a reservation. RESERVATIONS: Peak months are March, September, and October.

D A L E H O L L O W L A K E ( K Y. A N D TENN.) Pull up to a lakeside primitive camping site at Dale Hollow Lake and enjoy a stretch of beach or an island

PRICE RANGE: $3 per night DON’T FORGET: Check the firewood policy online before

you go to protect the area from invasive species. RESERVATIONS: Up to six months in advance on recreation.gov.

M O R E P L AC E S T O S TAY: Blue Moon Rising (Md.) At Blue Moon Rising, the idea is that nothing goes to waste. All of the trees cut down and dirt removed to build these tiny houses were then used in other places on the property. Explore the 14 sustainable cabins on site.

Roanoke Boutique Hotel (Va.) This bed and breakfast, designed by and for outdoor enthusiasts, is just minutes away from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail, Carvins Cove, and the Roanoke River. Keep your bike and gear in their secure storage space. Cove Point Lighthouse (Md.) Rent the Cove Point Lighthouse keeper’s home, situated right on the Chesapeake Bay. The house includes a table made out of reclaimed wood from the original lighthouse. Jule’s Undersea Lodge (Fla.) Dive 21 feet underwater for a stay at Jule’s Undersea Lodge in Emerald Lagoon. Visitors must be SCUBA certified before they can make the journey to one of the staterooms. LeConte Lodge (N.C.) Surrounded by Great Smoky Mountain National Park, LeConte Lodge is only accessible on foot. Trails to the top of the mountain range from 5.5 to eight miles. Take in the views and serenity as you spend a night on the third highest peak in the park. Unicoi State Park (Ga.) Sleep among the trees in the “Squirrel’s Nest” at Unicoi State Park. Take advantage of paddleboard lessons, mountain biking, and more while you’re in the area.

• COME PLAY IN OUR BACKYARD •

OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

OUTDOOR ALL-STARS

THESE INSPIRING OUTDOOR ADVENTURERS ALSO WORK TO PROTECT THE PLACES W H E R E W E P L A Y. BY HART FOWLER

John Beaudet

Beaudet spent 10 years backpacking thousands of miles on long trails, including four Appalachian Trail thru-hikes. Once he had worn out his knees, he thought it was time to pay it back. He bought land near Rocky Fork State Park in Tennessee and started a trail crew. “Trail work is very satisfying,” says Beaudet. “You still get to spend the day out on the trail, but can come home with a feeling of having contributed something to the trail and to others’ enjoyment of it.” On one of his A.T. thruhikes, Beaudet hiked a lot with the Romanskis, a family of seven. Beaudet got separated from them near the end of the hike, and on the last day, he tried to catch up and finish with them—but they were not at Katahdin. Eight years later, Beaudet started up Mount Katahdin on the last day of his fourth A.T. thru-hike, when some folks ahead stepped off the trail to let him pass. It was the Romanskis. They had run out of time and not finished eight years earlier, and were there to finish that very day. “I got to hike the last mountain with them as they finished their A.T. hike after all. What are the chances of that? Special places draw special people to them, and special things happen.” Beaudet has been instrumental in protecting Rocky Fork State Park, one of Tennessee’s newest and wildest state parks, near the North CarolinaTennessee border. His trail work, advocacy, and watchdog activism has distinguished him as a grassroots leader. He has spearheaded efforts to keep Rocky Fork wild and undeveloped. His happiest moments are in the park he helps protect. “Out in the woods, it’s never work. If I go hiking and wind up talking to people about issues, that’s okay; you meet nice people in the woods and

john beaudet

sam evans

enjoy the conversation. The work comes later if it leads to phone calls, letters, and research to do, but that’s at home. In the woods, even if I am building trails all day, I am never really working.”

Mark Miller

Mark Miller has been an outdoor adventurer since he was 4 and took his first solo-hike in Minnesota. That earned him a good whipping from his parents mark miller but also a lifelong love for the outdoors. “By the time I was thirteen, I was free ranging up to twenty miles from home in what later became known as the Boundary Waters,” says Miller. Miller got involved in conservation after writing a hiking guide called Wilderness Virginia in the early 90s. “In compiling that book, I was able to travel to all the designated Wilderness in Virginia.” Soon after publishing the guide, Miller was asked to join the Virginia Wilderness Committee, where he now serves as Executive Director. His work was instrumental in passing the Wilderness Bill in 2001 protecting The Priest and Three Ridges mountains, and he also helped work on the Omnibus Lands Act signed into law in 2009

protecting millions of acres across the US. But equally rewarding to Miller is the hard work of maintaining the six-mile Rich Hole Trail in the Rich Hole Wilderness using only hand tools. “Getting into the woods whether it is for work or pleasure is basically all the same. It is being in the woods and the woods are I place I love to be. It is such an integral part of who I am.” Beartown Wilderness is one of his all-time favorite places to be. “The area on the summit of Garden Mountain is magical,” he says. A close second is Beartown Mountain in the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area. Both places are tough to get to. You really have to want to make the hike to see these spots as it involves a lot of bushwhacking, but they are worth the effort.”

Sam Evans

You won’t find a more athletically accomplished attorney than Sam Evans. He won the Monster Cross and King of Pisgah mountain bike races in 2013, topped the podium at the Pisgah 111 and Iron Mountain 100K mountain bike races in 2014, and won the 2015 Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race with teammate Dave Wood. “We went after the checkpoints in a different order than our archrival team, and so only saw them once during the entire day, but then we finished less than a minute before them after more than 8 hours racing,” says Evans. Evans is also an accomplished whitewater paddler, trail runner, hiker and backpacker, and rock climber. “One of the reasons I enjoy the activities that OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

kristin davis

lynn cameron

I do is that they immerse me in the moment so effectively. I can be in my head. A lot. But when I’m kayaking or when I’m mountain biking or when I’m trail running or setting up camp, all of those things are very in the moment for me. I can come out of the woods realizing I haven’t thought of anything else except for putting one foot in front of the other.” One of his most memorable moments was arriving by bicycle in D.C. for the Obama inauguration festivities. Evans rode his bike from Knoxville to D.C. in January 2009 to deliver a petition to the Obama transition team supporting the prohibition of mountaintop removal mining waste fills in Appalachian waterways. Sam Evans grew up in Jasper, Alabama, where there are no wilderness areas. He had to travel 50 miles to visit the Sipsey Wilderness. He recalled vividly the first time stepping into the forest there. “There was a line of sickly scraggly pines that have grown up from the old clear cut bordering the forest, and there was this magical horizontal line that divided the clear cut into an old-growth hickory and oak forest. Once inside you hear birds and see all kinds of wildlife and quickly you can walk down this canyon to this clear flowing stream, and waterfall and it is just beautiful. That showed me how the choices that we make play out on public lands.” Evans is a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in their Asheville office. His primary focus is on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in Western North Carolina and the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. The stakes have significantly risen with the Trump administration’s environmental policies, one of which is an executive order increasing timber production on public lands and another is a Forest Service proposal to cut public comment and scientific transparency out of many timber projects. 44

BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS | OCTOBER 2019

Lynn Cameron

Cameron was called to the outdoors when she was a young girl growing up on a farm in West Virginia. “I delighted in playing in the forests on our farm. As I grew older, I started backpacking and hiking and made it my business to visit as many Wilderness areas as possible. I was especially drawn to old growth forests.” She became a full-time volunteer activist after retiring as a professional librarian in 2010. Cameron and her husband are avid hikers and also help maintain the trails on Shenandoah Mountain. As co-chair of the conservation group Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, Cameron is working to build public support to bring federal legislation to designate 90,000 acres around Shenandoah Mountain area of the George Washington National Forest as a National Scenic Area, which would protect it from certain types of development. “Some of my best ideas for advocacy come to me while spending time on Shenandoah Mountain. When I'm hiking or viewing wildflowers, I take photos to use in our advocacy efforts. Wandering around on Shenandoah Mountain recharges me and inspires me,” she says. “I work to protect what I love, and I absolutely love doing this work. In fact, it doesn't even feel like work. My life has meaning and purpose, and I am very happy to live in this way.”

Kristin Davis

Davis grew up in a small town in West Virginia where kids rode bikes, swam in lakes and rivers, and played in the woods. Today she is an attorney in Southern Environmental Law Center’s

Charlottesville office. “Some folks come to this work because of a deep intellectual interest in some aspect of environmental law or policy. It’s true this field is endlessly fascinating,” says Davis. “But I became an environmental lawyer for a far more basic reason: I go to the woods because hiking through lush forests and mountains and swimming in cool, rocky rivers makes me feel alive.” Davis is an avid hunter, which may seem unexpected to some. “I realize that hunting isn’t for everyone, and plenty of folks seem surprised to hear that an environmental lawyer likes it," she says. “But I get to spend a week in the woods I love with my dad and other friends. It doesn’t get much better than that.” Hunting has a practical value, too. “I’ve saved a lot of grocery money now that I hunt and freeze my own venison. But I had no luck last season, so the freezer is empty.” Davis focuses much of her time on protecting important resources in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests— including old growth forests, unique ecosystems, wildlife habitat, water quality, and remote and wild areas of the forest. “I go to work to help protect these places. It’s just melanie mayes that simple for me. I spent several years as a corporate attorney, so there isn’t a single day that I don’t appreciate how lucky I am to get to do work that I care so deeply about.” Davis spends as much time as possible immersed in the places she fights to protect. “I’m usually hiking, swimming, fishing, hunting, visiting people, getting firewood, or just looking at things. Being outdoors takes my mind off the stresses of daily life. My world slows down in the woods. It may take a few hours, but eventually my brain slows down too.”

Melanie Mayes

“Half of my parents' property was taken by a highway when I was a teen,” Mayes recalls. ”There is almost nothing as ugly as a new highway

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plowing through the forest. And highways bring sprawl: fast food joints and gas stations that chase out local businesses." Mayes helped launch WaysSouth, a nonprofit specializing in transportation issues in the Southern Appalachians. WaysSouth formed in response to a proposal to build Interstate 3 from

Savannah to Knoxville, which was eventually defeated. “In our mountains, road construction needs to carefully consider the terrain and route to minimize forest fragmentation, disturbance of streams, and exposure of acid-containing rock formations, so that our tourism-based economy can continue to grow.” Instead of concrete highways, Mayes prefers dirt trails. She has hiked over 3,800 miles on the A.T. over the past five years. She regularly hikes the Sugarland Mountain Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with her partner. Mayes hikes 15 miles or more each day, which she considers to be her “moving meditation.” “It keeps me sane. Hiking gives me the time and freedom from distraction to think through important issues in my life and in my work.”

Terry didn’t have to venture far to fight for wild places. She had the fight brought to her in the form of the Mountain Valley Pipeline on her property on Bent Mountain in Virginia. “I was blissfully ignorant before the pipeline,” admits Terry. “I hate to say that. I lived my life. I enjoyed my woods. I enjoyed my creek. I worked, and then I couldn’t wait to get home. I couldn’t get there fast enough.” But then the Mountain Valley Pipeline routed directly through her property and seized it by eminent domain. “They cut 13 acres of our property, of our old forest.” So Terry sat in a tree for five weeks protesting the Mountain Valley Pipeline. She continues to advocate against the pipeline vigorously. “Every time I see the beautiful trees cut down, it’s like someone tearing my heart out,” she says. “I don’t go out as much as I used to. There’s no where I can go to get away from it on my land.”

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One of those issues is Corridor K, a proposed highway project in the Andrews-Stecoah area, with two proposed routes cutting across the Appalachian Trail. “It is frustrating and sad when you love a place, and find it degraded or know it might be in the future.”

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VIRGINIA STATE PARKS

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Virginia is home to a variety of landscapes, from mountain peaks thousands of feet above sea level, to the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, the largest tidal estuary in the world. Virginia State Parks trails are as diverse as the parks, but regardless of your experience level, you’ll find a challenging trail in a Virginia State Park. Find an adventure on one of these trails: Douthat State Park’s Mountain Side Trail Hike is narrow and mountainous. The 1,269miles of feet elevation gain is fairly intense, trails in one of and care must be taken along the Virginia’s state parks, including Shenandoah steep edge. It’s not for children or River State Park and the inexperienced. From the 1.2-mile Pocahontas State trail, take the equally difficult 2.4-mile Park. Mountain Top Trail. Serious hikers can strap on a pack and hike the 16 miles of trails on the park’s perimeter. Hungry Mother State Park offers 12 miles of trails encircling the lake, and Clyburn Ridge Loop Trail is the most demanding. Beginning at 2,215 feet, the trail climbs to 2,584 feet at the lake overlook, drops, and climbs again to 2,566 feet at the Stone Lick intersection, offering commanding views of the lake. Add in the Stone Lick Trail and

Clyburn Hollow Trail, and you can cover unique terrain, including crossing the creek several times. Shenandoah River State Park offers 24 miles of trails, from one edge of the park to the other. The west side of the park takes you along Culler’s Trail, to Shale Barrens Trail, to the Bear Bottom Loop for a stimulating 8-mile hike. A half hour from the state capitol, Pocahontas State Park hosts 11 hiking trails over 5 miles. At 2.3-miles, Beaver Lake Trail is a moderate loop with slight elevation changes. For an additional challenge, head over to the 4 mile-long Co-op Trail. With views of Swift Creek Lake, you’ll see why this is quickly becoming the most popular trail in the park. Four-legged pals can come along but must be on a leash. False Cape State Park is a remote barrier spit that allows visitors to observe maritime forests, swamps, marshes, and the bay. The West Dike, Barbour Hill, Sand Ridge Beach Loop is an 8.9mile hike through remote sand along the Atlantic Ocean. This is not a hike for beginners. Make sure you carry plenty of water. Trails are closed November 1 - March 31.

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DGIF WILDLIFE WATCHING OPPORTUNITIES

Looking for some destinations to explore Virginia’s great outdoors? The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries offers two excellent resources to help you find the perfect spot to hike, paddle, or view wildlife. The Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail (VBWT) makes it easy to discover Virginia’s wild side. This online guide highlights the 600 best outdoor sites to see birds and wildlife in the Commonwealth. Walk a nature trail, paddle a river, or enjoy a scenic overlook to experience Virginia’s wealth of natural diversity, ranging from brown pelicans and bottlenose dolphins along our Atlantic Coast to bald eagles and black bears in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Find a site near you using the online guide.

DGIF also maintains 47 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) that offer bountiful natural resources and a variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking, paddling, and wildlife Explore viewing. For a full list of WMAs and their Virginia’s locations, check DGIF’s website. To natural diversity visit a WMA or DGIF-owned lake, when you visit one all you need is a Restore the Wild of the Virginia Bird and Wildlife membership, a Virginia hunting or Trail sites. freshwater fishing license, or a boat registration. Explore the VBWT and Wildlife Management Areas and you’ll soon see why Virginia is a premier destination for hiking, birding, and wildlife viewing!

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Take in the scenic views of the Roanoke Valley from McAfee Knob before refueling with a meal at The Homeplace.

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VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE

Climb the Mill Mountain Star Trail to see the The mountains of Virginia’s Blue Ridge make the Roanoke Star and views of the valley. Dogs on perfect fall backdrop when you visit the Roanoke Valley for a few days of outdoor adventure and leisure. leashes are welcome to join your trip. While at Mill Mountain Park, check out the mountain biking trails If you’re looking for a full weekend of hiking, try and wildflower garden. Virginia’s Triple Crown. Begin your weekend with a Hikers of all abilities will find a trail to experience hike to Dragon’s Tooth as you walk along streams the Peaks of Otter. On a clear day, you can and test your bouldering skills. Make your way see for hundreds of miles from Sharp to McAfee Knob and the iconic overlook that Top Mountain, Flat Top Mountain, and makes it one of the most popular spots Harkening Hill. Flat Top Trail offers a on the Appalachian Trail. Finish your strenuous hike to the top of the trip off with Tinker Cliffs, featuring tallest of the three sister peaks. almost 2,000 feet of elevation EXPERIENCE Stroll along Abbott Lake gain. Complete the Triple THE FALL COLORS BY Trail, an ADA compliant loop Crown in sections or connect FOOT, BIKE, OR CAR IN around the water. Take the the three legs with a 32-mile Fallingwater Cascades Trail, backpacking trip on the VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE. a 1.6-mile loop, for views of a Appalachian Trail. waterfall. Stick around after the sun These trails offer stunning views of goes down for brilliant views of the the leaves turning colors and the valley night sky. below. Head out of the city to Smith Mountain Want to take in the fall landscape without Lake State Park for miles of shoreline to getting out of the car? Go for a scenic mountain explore. The 13 miles of trails will take you drive along Route 311 as you drive over Catawba through hardwood forests to quiet coves and Mountain and Potts Mountain. Take the car off road on waterfront overlooks. Spend a relaxing day on the the Potts Mountain Jeep Trail for steep climbs and water, paddling and fishing for bass. Stick around for incredible views. While you’re in the area, don’t forget a beautiful sunset over the lake. Plan your visit for to make a stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Head north November in time for the Smith Mountain Lake Chili or south for views off of “America’s Favorite Drive.” and Craft Festival at Bridgewater Marina.

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After a day exploring the mountains, fill up with the best local food Virginia’s Blue Ridge has to offer. Sit in front of a fire while you dine on a bison burger or brown beans and cornbread from The Swinging Bridge Restaurant. If you’re looking for comfort food, check out some of the best at The Homeplace. Stop by Ruth’s Place for breakfast served all day. And don’t forget to try the pies, freshly baked every day, from The Hub Restaurant. Visit the Homestead Creamery for all of your favorite ice cream flavors, including a seasonal pumpkin flavor. Call ahead for a tour of the farm and manufacturing area. Don’t miss the hay rides, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes at Layman Family Farms, Sinkland Farms, and Jeter Farm. Taste your way through the valley with Virginia’s Blue Ridge Cheers Trail. With nearly 30 different stops, you’re sure to find a craft beer, wine, or spirit that fits your style. Don’t forget to download the Cheers Trail Passport (text ‘CHEERS’ to (540) 253-4311) for awesome savings on drinks and merchandise. Take in the sights, sounds, and flavors of the Roanoke Valley when you visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

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People enjoy hiking the family-friendly trails of False Cape State Park, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

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Whether you’re into invigorating hikes, For a scenic hike through the enchanting adventurous trails, or breathtaking routes, cypress swamps, Bald Cypress Trail offers a the state parks, wildlife refuges, and miles of 1.6-mile loop, including several boardwalks and beaches offer an abundance of trails in this platforms overlooking the low wetlands, making unique, coastal environment that are ready to for several great photo-ops. This trail at First be explored. From short thru hikes to scenic Landing features an abundance of wildflowers loops, here are a few of Virginia Beach’s throughout and is ideal for all experience more popular hiking trails to help you get levels. Dogs are also able to use this started. trail while on a leash. The trailhead At six miles, Cape Henry Trail is is located at the park’s trail center, the longest trail in First Landing accessed through the south State Park, stretching from entrance off of Shore Drive, EXPERIENCE the park’s northern border which is the main hub ONE OF THE LAST to southern-most entrance for accessing the nine REMAINING UNDEVELOPED off of Atlantic Avenue. interpretive trails running AREAS ON THE EAST Accessible to both hikers and through First Landing’s seven COAST IN FALSE CAPE bicyclists and running parallel distinct ecosystems. STATE PARK. to Shore Drive, the Cape Henry With 15 hiking and biking trails, Trail passes through an old-style varying in length and ranging from beach neighborhood where salt boxes easy to difficult, there are many ways sit comfortably next to contemporary to explore one of the last remaining renovations. The flat trail, shaded in places undeveloped areas on the East Coast in by pine and live oak trees, is perfect for avid False Cape State Park. Sand Ridge Trail, the bird watchers as you’ll see osprey and egrets, longest and most difficult trail at 6.2 miles, is and maybe even an elusive eagle. The trail better for families with more experienced hikers heads through the park, past the beaches of the and bikers. The trail leads from near the entrance secluded narrows, and connects at the northern of the park all the way down to the North tip of the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. Carolina state border. For families who are up for

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VISITVIRGINIABEACH.COM a challenge, navigate the entire 15.3 miles of trails in the park, where you will experience beaches of both an ocean and a bay, dunes, maritime forests, marshes, and wooded swamps, all in one visit. The 42-acre Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area includes 1.5 miles of hiking paths great from hikers and bikers alike. The trail loop can be hiked in a little over 30 minutes at a steady pace. With an abundance of trees surrounding the two lakes, this is a great spot to enjoy the changing seasons. The natural area also features several overlook platforms where you can spot largemouth bass, white catfish, and bluegills swimming in the water beneath you. Totaling 1.5 miles in length, the Stumpy Lake Loop overlooks the beautiful Stumpy Lake and is perfect for hiking, walking, trail running, and nature trips. The Stumpy Lake Natural Area is located along the south-central City boundary with Chesapeake and features a 278-acre lake with a raised overlook and a 174-acre golf course. More than 970 acres of undeveloped, forested land surround the lake, including 1.65 miles of soft shared-use trails. From a short stroll through the woods to a challenging hike, Virginia Beach is the perfect place to get outside on a fall getaway.

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HEART OF APPALACHIA VIRGINIA

A challenging hike for some may be an average hike for others. But the new Virginia Mountain Hiking and Biking Guide, published by the Heart of Appalachia, offers a hike or two for every demographic. From the beautiful section of the Appalachian Trail that offers breathtaking views of Burke’s Garden (God’s Thumbprint) in Tazewell, to the great Pine Mountain Trail that hugs the Virginia and Kentucky border in Wise, you will find an amazing weekend of hiking to do in Southwest Virginia, regardless of your skill level. Follow Chief Benge’s Run from High Knob, through two other counties – landing you near the Devil’s Bathtub, another popular hike, in Scott County. If long hikes aren’t your thing, then perhaps you’d enjoy the Sugar Hill loops in the newly formed Clinch River State Park. One particularly popular trail is the Lonesome Pine Loop on the Bird and Wildlife Trail in Buchanan. From it, you can spot scores of species of beautiful feathered creatures and Virginia’s Elk Restoration project. Book an elk viewing tour through Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure or Breaks Interstate Park for a side adventure or explore 114 miles of trail at Coal Canyon. The Great Channels Natural

Area Preserve in Russell is an awe-inspiring hike that has left many speechless as they ponder the meaning of creation. These hikes, and many others, are featured in the Virginia Mountain Hiking and Biking Guide. Rent a bike at one of the many area outfitters, or bring your own, and do the 128-mile Heart of Appalachia Bike Route or part of the Route 76 Transamerica Bike Trail. The Guest River Gorge is another great bike route. Regardless if your game is hiking, biking, or both, this map has something for you! Hike or bike Rick Barton, owner of Outdoor Southwest Virginia Adventure Centers, says, “If you with Heart of Appalachia’s new categorize the toughest hikes in guide to the area. Virginia, the five out of the top ten most extreme hikes will be in this map of Southwest Virginia.” The beauty of these trails is the fact that many of them are “unexplored,” or not over saturated with hikers. “Having somewhere new to go is exciting to me. It is adventure in its rawest form,” says Barton. The Virginia Mountain Hiking and Biking Guide can be obtained, FREE, by calling 276-762-0011 or emailing info@heartofappalachia.com.

WINCHESTER-FREDERICK VIRGINIA

Photos by Robert Harris Photography.

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Winchester, Virginia is perfectly situated at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountain ranges. Just an hour outside of the congestion of Northern Virginia, Winchester has developed its own culture and vibe dating back 275 years. While the Appalachian Trail is easily accessible from Winchester, either at Snicker’s Gap, Sky Meadows State Park, or Front Royal, the real gem for true outdoor enthusiasts is the Tuscarora Trail. Relax Known locally as the “Old Blue” trail and unwind due to the blue hash marks, it’s an at a lake front official contiguous bypass trail of cabin at The Cove Campground after a the AT, stretching 252 miles from day of hiking the Pennsylvania to central Virginia. Tuscarora This trail is oftentimes rugged and Trail. unforgiving, but the lack of crowds and beautiful ridgeline hikes with stunning views of the Shenandoah Valley are worth the extra work. Managed by the PATC, it still bears the clear markings, maintained pathways, campsite clearings, and shelters that the AT has. One of the easiest access points is in Frederick County, about 25 minutes southwest of Old Town Winchester, at the Eagle Rock Trailhead. This is also one of the easiest access Tuscarora day hikes in the region.

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VISITWINCHESTERVA.COM If you’d like to test the waters with the trail, consider a stay at the Pembroke Springs Retreat, a Japanese-style bed and breakfast very near Eagle Rock. Relax after a day’s exploratory hike on the trails in their authentic, spring-fed Japanese baths and indulge in a Japanese fusion dinner on most weekends. To really get away, consider a rustic lakefront cabin or campsite at The Cove Campground, also just steps from the Tuscarora. If you are interested in the Appalachian Trail, there are some beautiful and easily accessible points near Winchester. One of the easiest day hikes with a beautiful pay-off vista is at Snicker’s Gap just off Rt. 7, about 25 minutes from Old Town Winchester. Ample parking and a smooth trail make for a busy trailhead on nice weekends. Old Town Winchester acts as the hub of the region, with a vibrant walking mall, over 20 local restaurants, shops, 4 craft breweries, and 3 local coffee shops. Winchester Brew Works pays homage to the hiking in the area, with brews like “Big Schloss” and “2200 Mile NEIPA.” Need supplies? Make sure to hit Mountain Trails Outfitters in Old Town Winchester, with a full lineup of premium camping and hiking gear, maps, and experienced hikers on staff.

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Visit the Peaceful Side of the Smokies and discover miles of trails and roadways to see the views.

TOWNSEND TENNESSEE

connect Chilhowee and Cosby, Tennessee through the Get your fill of fresh mountain air, cascading waterfalls, mountains. and breathtaking views when you visit the Peaceful Explore the 17 local parks in Blount County on the Side of the Smokies this fall. greenway system. These family-friendly trails are Take the scenic route to Abrams Falls, considered the most voluminous waterfall series in the Great Smoky perfect for walking, running, and biking through the area. There are more than 18 miles of trails to Mountains National Park. At five miles roundtrip, enjoy during a perfect fall day. Hop on the you’ll pass by exquisite geological formations, abundant wildlife, and hemlock forests. Townsend River Walk for a quiet stroll by the water and through the arboretum. Experience the fall foliage of the Head below ground into the Smokies in all of its glory on Ace Gap Tuckaleechee Caverns and explore Trail. At just over 10 miles out and the depths of Earth’s oldest back, you can take your time on EXPERIENCE mountain chain. Experience this trail. Explore the park further cave formations reaching up ONE OF THE HIGHEST on various paths that break off to 12 feet tall. Estimated to be from the main route, leading to PEAKS EAST OF between 20 to 30 million years more scenic views and caves. THE MISSISSIPPI AT old, this is the highest rated caves Take in 360 degrees of views CLINGMANS DOME. series in the Eastern United States. from the observational lookout on While you’re in town, the Smoky Clingmans Dome. At 6,645 feet, you’ll Mountain Outdoor Center can provide stand on one of the highest peaks east you with all the gear and equipment you’ll of the Mississippi, overlooking the valley of need, featuring the top brands to fit any the national park. The half mile paved trail to outdoor adventure. Rent a bike and spend the the tower is steep but worth it for the views. On a day exploring the roads and trails of Townsend and clear day, you’ll be able to see over 100 miles across the Smoky Mountains. Whether you’re spending the the mountains. weekend car camping or backpacking, stop by the If you prefer to enjoy the fall colors from your car or bike, try the Foothills Parkway. Follow miles of road to Little River Trading Company for gear and local’s recommendations. Keep an eye out for their monthly overlooks like Look Rock, featuring a picnic area and hikes and gatherings to help inspire your next adventure. campground. When completed, the 72-mile route will

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Refuel after a day outside at Full Service BBQ, home to some of the best barbecue in the area. Fill up on local made comfort food at this gas station turned food joint. Take in views of the Smoky Mountains just a few blocks from downtown Maryville. If you’re looking for a taste of the mountains, head to Blackberry Farm Brewery for a cold beer or two. In addition to their freshly crafted brews, snack on cheeses, charcuterie, preserves, and a lineup of local food trucks. At the end of a long day, recharge with a stay at RT Lodge. Tucked away in the serene woods of Maryville, it is the perfect location to unwind and relax. Each room features custom-crafted furniture and plush robes. Make sure to try the restaurant located on the property. The head chef has been nationally recognized for his approach to classic dishes. Many ingredients, including the bread, pickles, and pimento cheese, are made onsite. Play all day and unwind at night during your getaway to the Peaceful Side of the Smokies.

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From the trails at Elk Knob State Park to Booneshine Brewing Co.’s new tasting room, there’s something for everyone in Boone.

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BOONE

NORTH CAROLINA mile wooded trail featuring waterfalls and wildflowers. Whether you’re looking for a challenging hike to the Long distance hikers will enjoy 13 miles of challenging top of a mountain or a stroll through the woods to terrain on the Tanawha Trail. Extend your trip as the admire the changing leaves, head to Boone, North Tanawha is part of the longer Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Carolina for a fall getaway. Visit Elk Knob State Park, one of North Carolina’s Spend a few hours, or a few days, exploring the newest state parks. Take the strenuous Summit Linville Falls Recreation Area. Hike to overlooks Trail to the top of Elk Knob, one of the highest with views of waterfalls, mountainous vistas, peaks in the state. On a clear day, you’ll and the Linville Gorge. Trails on either side be able to see the mountains of North of the gorge will give you a full picture Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. of the Linville River below. Bring the whole family to Valle Take a trip to Grandfather Crucis Community Park to Mountain State Park, using EXPERIENCE walk the paved trail and enjoy ladders and cables to reach ELK KNOB STATE the playground. The park MacRae Peak. Hike the Profile PARK, ONE OF NORTH borders the Watauga River, Trail, three miles of a strenuous CAROLINA’S NEWEST making it a great spot to do climb leading to the ridge of STATE PARKS. some fishing in the morning. Walk, Grandfather Mountain. Backpack in run, or bike the Boone Greenway to one of the 13 backcountry campsites Trail, a mostly paved path along the to experience more of the park. Check South Fork of the New River. The Moses the calendar for free weekend programming, Cone Estate features 25 miles of old carriage including a Fall Colors Hike on October 6th. All trails in addition to bass and trout lake fishing. visitors are required to register for a free hiking Check out the wide variety of outfitters and gear permit at the state park office before heading into the shops in the area for all of your outdoor recreation park. needs. Footsloggers stocks all of the clothing and Located at the foot of Grandfather Mountain and just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Julian Price Memorial equipment you’ll need for your outing. Regear offers great prices on consignment gear. Park has something for everyone. The Price Lake Loop Trail, a flat 2.7 miles, will take you around the fully stocked lake. Head out on Boone Fork Trail, a five-

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Go for a ride at Tweetsie Railroad, a family fun park featuring train rides and entertainment. Plan your visit for October and take a ride on the nighttime “Ghost Train” through the Freaky Forest and Warp Tunnel. When the sun goes down, soar through the trees on a Night Flight with Sky Valley Zip Tours. Hit up the Kids Market at the Watauga County Farmers Market every Saturday morning. When you’re done playing outside, explore the more than 30 restaurants in and around downtown. Hit up the Booneshine Brewing Company’s new brewery and tasting room just inside the town limits. Relax and unwind with a drink at Appalachian Mountain Brewery or Lost Province Brewing Company. Spend the night at one of several lodging options in the Boone area. The Horton Hotel and Rooftop Bar is a new boutique hotel in downtown Boone, featuring 15 unique guest rooms. Pet-friendly rooms are available. Walk to La Quinta Inn & Suites or Sleep Inn from downtown or Appalachian State University. Check out more lodging destinations in the area online, including tiny houses and cabins. Explore all of this, and more, when you visit Boone and the mountains of North Carolina.

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Life on the Rapidan River! Custom built 4 Bedroom/3 Bath home on 12.37 Acres with beautiful views of the Mountains & Fronting The Rapidan River.This is an oasis that excels to entertain. Take your pick: Relaxing on the Covered Porch, Hunting, Fishing, Kayaking, Swimming, Hiking, etc. There is much to explore! Easy commute to Charlottesville and close to Route 29 near Ruckersville. Offered at $464,900 50 ACRES - ORANGE, VIRGINIA

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An Escape from the Ordinary - In Today’s Busy World, Live to Unwind. Blandemar Farm Estates is one of the most beautiful and serene neighborhoods on the East Coast featuring multi-million dollar homes. If you are looking for a place to build your private & unique mountain top estate, look no further! The developer has just released the last few lots, 21+ Acres. Don’t miss out. Instead, settle in among the hills of Albemarle County & enjoy the peaceful nature of a prestigious community. Pricing starting at $525,000

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513 N. Main St., P.O. Box 461 | Gordonsville, VA 22942

return of the giants SCIENTISTS ARE RESTORING APPALACHIA'S MOST IMPORTANT TREE: THE CHESTNUT. BY DAN DEWITT

THE SMALL MOUND OF POLLEN THAT PAUL SISCO POURS FROM A PILL vial comes from an American chestnut hybrid

that he calls “my lucky tree,” “my trophy,” “my champion.” At six years old, it is already more than 20 feet tall, with a straight, stout trunk. The bark shows the merest ripple at the point where Sisco tested the tree by injecting it with Cryphonectria parasitica, also kjnown as chestnut blight. The blight’s destruction of roughly 4 billion American chestnuts in the early 20th century has been called the country’s greatest ecological disaster. The breeding of Sisco’s star tree at an American Chestnut Foundation orchard south of Asheville may turn out to be a milestone in its reversal. The hope is that the Hershey Kiss-shaped nuts produced by this crossing will grow into trees with even greater resistance than their parents, and that they will emerge as prime stock for the repopulation of chestnuts in Appalachian forests. It’s a goal Sisco has been pursuing for more than 20 years. It’s a devotion inspired by the magnificence of the chestnut—so numerous, productive and beautiful that it was sometimes called the “perfect

tree”—and by the tragedy of its destruction. “The chestnut has a great story,” Sisco said. But this sense of mission also comes from the knowledge that chestnuts are not alone. American forests, said Stacy Clark, a research forester with the U.S. Forest Service, “are under siege from invasive exotoics.” It sometimes seems, she added, that the most spectacular trees—Fraser firs, hemlocks, elms, ashes and dogwoods—are the most vulnerable. A wild landscape repopulated with cultivated or genetically engineered versions of these species would necessarily be less wild. But if scientists and the public accept this as the price of revival it means the Foundation is not just fighting for American chestnuts but creating a model to fight for American forests. “If we can show we can save a single species at a time, and that species has a great impact, I think it leads to scientists studying other species seeing that there are feasible solutions out there,” said Ben Jarrett, the Foundation’s Southeast regional science coordinator.

CHESTNUT BLIGHT, A MISFORTUNE THROUGHOUT ITS RANGE, WAS

a calamity in the southern Appalachians, where the species was a keystone of the ecosystem, culture and economy, Susan Freinkel wrote in her 2007 book, American Chestnut: The Life, Death and Rebirth of the Perfect Tree. The trees grew largest here—more than a dozen feet wide at the base and ten times that high— and most abundantly. In some swaths of forest, chestnuts accounted for one in every four mature hardwood. In the fall, they carpeted the woods with starchy, protein-rich nuts that sustained wildlife, livestock and people. One elderly mountain resident told Freinkel that chestnut harvest season was the only time of the year he wasn’t hungry.

Farm families earned much-needed cash gathering nuts for shipment to Eastern cities. They built cabins, coffins, fences and furniture from the tree’s straight-grained, rot-resistant wood. They worked for timber companies that realized so much profit from extracting the tree’s tannic acid that earnings from pulp and timber sales were gravy. The blight—accidentally imported in Asian chestnut trees—was first identified in a New York City park in 1904, and its devastation of southern forests coincided with the economic collapse of the Great Depression. “Double whammy,” Jarrett said.

EARLY RESTORATION EFFORTS ENDED AFTER SEVERAL DECADES OF

frustration and dwindling public support—but not before scientists developed a few promising strains by crossing American chestnuts with their Chinese counterparts, which are at least partly resistant because they evolved with the blight. This gave Burnham stock to work with. He advocated a method of breeding called backcrossing that he had used with corn and that has been the driving strategy of the Foundation’s work since its founding in 1983. The idea: Cross Chinese-American hybrids with successive generations of American chestnuts that still grow wild and that, though doomed to die of blight, sometimes live long enough to produce nuts. Select the most resistant specimens from each crossing. The result, he predicted, would be trees that look just like American chestnuts—that are just as tall and straight, just as loaded with flowers and nuts—yet are able to fight off blight like their distant Chinese ancestors. Repeatedly crossing these trees with one another should concentrate resistance, Burnham said, producing a new perfect tree for a permanently infected landscape.

A CLOSEUP OF A LEAF ON A P O T E N T I A L L Y B L I G H T- R E S I S TA N T AMERICAN CHESTNUT HYBRID SHOWING THE LEAF'S DISTINCTIVE CANOE SHAPE AND CURVED TEETH. COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN C H E S T N U T F O U N D AT I O N .

OCTOBER 2019 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

It’s a goal that Sisco, working with trees that are 15/16ths American chestnut, is now closing in on. So are scientists at the Foundation’s national research farm in Meadowview Va., and at orchards run by several of its state chapters, most notably Pennsylvania’s. “Pennsylvania is by far the farthest along,” Jarrett said. But another big step remains: producing enough highly resistant trees, with enough genetic diversity, that they can fill seed orchards and interbreed freely. And then another step: allowing this stock to produce the two or three billion chestnuts needed for it to reclaim its dominant place in Eastern forests. “It’s a very long-term project,” Sisco said.

U.S. FOREST SERVICE HAS ESTABLISHED 13

plots of 15/16ths American chestnuts in National Forests in the South. And though the point of this research is to test conditions for replanting, not to begin reforestation, the performance of these trees has been encouraging, said the Forest Service researcher Clark. In the oldest of these plots, planted in 2009, between 50 and 80 percent of the trees have escaped infection and the tallest are now nearly 40 feet tall. “The trees are performing very well in terms of height and survival,” Clark said. Meanwhile, scientists are working on another controversial approach— the creation of a genetically modified American chestnut. The blight works by emitting an acid that kills chestnut tissue, making it easier for the fungus to consume. By borrowing a gene from wheat that neutralizes this acid, Powell and Maynard (who recently retired), have produced a pure-bred American tree as resistant as most Chinese chestnuts. Although they must still receive approval from three federal agencies, which is expected to take at least two years, they have prepared for the approval process with tests that have so far revealed no potential negative impacts to surrounding trees and no changes to the nuts and flowers. This has helped satisfy many critics who didn’t like the idea of introducing an engineered tree into forests, Powell said, including some members of the Foundation. “There’s been some friendly competition with us over the years because we were going on two

different tracks and they wanted to make sure their efforts weren’t wasted,” Powell said. “But now they are fully behind it.” Powell said his work can also be applied to other vulnerable tree species. The Ozark chinquapin is a relative of the American chestnut, he said, and its restoration is “something we can almost immediately step into.” His team has also made progress on altering elms to resist Dutch elm disease. “We know how to get the gene in the elm,” he said. “All we have to do is pick the right gene.” Even if researchers do not borrow his team’s methods, Powell said, they can follow the regulatory path that they have created. This includes a Forest Service scientist in Indiana who is working to develop a genetically modified ash tree with built-in resistance to the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that has killed millions of trees in the eastern United States. It also may include researchers at the Forest Restoration Alliance, based in Waynesville, N.C., and modeled after the Chestnut Foundation. This group is seeking resistance to both the balsam wooly adelgid, an insect that wiped out historic stands of mature Fraser firs and continues to plague the Christmas tree industry, and the hemlock wooly adelgid, which has devastated that tree’s population through most of the East. So far, the Alliance has focused on building breeding stocks from naturally resistant specimens, said the group’s director, Fred Hain, a retired N.C. State University professor. But he has an open mind about genetic modification, he said. “I think it has more potential than just about any approach out there.” Which is what drives Powell to expand his project’s reach to other species. “I’m trying to get a center set up for tree restoration,” he said, adding that establishing methods to fight other invasive pests, “is a very big deal to us.” Sisco, on the other hand, is focused strictly on the chestnut. “I’m blessed, or cursed, with a one-track mind,” he said, and he is encouraged by the recent successes in chestnut breeding. “After 33 years on this thing,” he said, “it makes me happy that I feel like I didn’t waste my life.”