Hunting Old Trails with Dillon Osleger
“If you don't have questions after going outside, you weren't looking.”
Portrait Gallery
Portraits and voices of trailworkers from across the United States.
In Defense of Government Whimsy
In a sea of very serious calls-to-action for very serious problems, I offer a more modest one: inject more whimsy. Add a little flair. Allow things to be imperfect.
“Dolly’s Song:” A film about legendary crosscut sawyer Dolly Chapman
“I had heard about Dolly Chapman for years the same way folks hear about Paul Bunyan. The one woman who sharpened crosscut saws for all of the west coast.”
Photographer Spotlight: Michael Fitch
Quiet honesty and cool precision: the photography of Colorado trailworker Michael Fitch.
In Memory of Meichen
A tribute to trailworker Meichen Plumhoff, from Sitka Trail Works.
The Gutting of the National Park Service
Mass firings, decades of neglect, and creeping privatization are dismantling America’s best idea.
New short film “From Dirt” is from the heart.
Watch the mini-documentary about Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, from Fish House Media.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Crew Leads
Seven habits that I think anyone on a trail crew—or any field-based team for that matter—should think about when they head into the field.
How to Get a Job in Trails
A comprehensive guide of tips and resources for getting your first trails job.
Photographer Spotlight: Steven Phipps
“Film and the backcountry just go hand in hand. Everyone’s kinda tuning out of technology while we’re there. Just very little screen time.”
Sign Study: Navajo National Monument
Navajo National Monument has the most beautiful signs I’ve ever seen at a National Park site. I want to know who made them.
“Crosscut” traverses a life-changing season through poetry.
In Crosscut, Sean Prentiss saturates our senses with the ding of a rock bar, the reek of loam, and the feeling of a well-oiled Pulaski handle.
Project Spotlight: Tres Sendas Bridge
A stunning, single log bridge in the Redwood forests of Oakland, CA.
Lessons From John McCarthy’s “Working the Wilderness”
Working the Wilderness is more than Idaho history—it’s a story about people who give a damn.
Robot
A poem by Maddi Bacon.
Where Do Federal Employees Go From Here? It’s Not On Vacation.
“In the park, I look around me at my rigorously idealistic, calloused-palm colleagues; at the harrier hawk that tips and swivels in a curling updraft. There is no wealth like this; the power of loving it is unassailable. These are real. The email isn’t real.”
Gallery: Big Sur Bridge Build
Highlines and bridge-building in the rugged canyons of Big Sur.
Gallery: Ben Johnson Project, Muir Woods, CA
From reclaimed logs to reconstructed trail, explore this on-going project by the Golden Gate Trail Crew in a series of photos.
Photographer Spotlight: Seth Foltz
Trail crew member and photographer Seth Foltz spent the 2024 season on Mt. Shavano, capturing incredible moments with his camera in between swings of his pick-mattock.