Blog

The Dirty Half Dozen Trail Crew 2018 By Kevin Simpson, Crew Leader The crew packs into the Ford F-150. This wonderful vehicle transports...

By Scotty Bowman The first time I lugged a gear and tool laden pack onto my back, I felt like I would collapse from the weight of it....

Skip atop Hutchinson's Rock From Hutchinson’s rock at 4,480 feet, the view of Burke’s Garden below is stunning, a round bowl of fertile...

We are stewards of wild places. We value the positive impact that preserving wild places can have on ecosystems, individuals and...

By Simon Farr It’s almost been four months since my season with the SAWS Regional Trail Crew came to an end. The gear is clean, the...

Written by Emma Bouchard My brother passed on the cusp of fall. A time when trees become open and vulnerable, as the forest quietly...

Written By David Greene To the right is a pipevine swallowtail caterpillar (Battus philenor). No doubt that you have probably seen dozens...

Written by David Greene Chances are that if you have been hiking the Southern Appalachians in the last few years, you’ve come across some...

By: A SAWS Seasonal Employee As a young person (or any person) in this day and age, it is practically impossible to live a productive...

By Katie Kull The first time I experienced Joyce Kilmer – Slickrock Wilderness, I was 6 years old. Like many local families, we had...

Written by Mason Boring. Mason is a SAWS Wilderness Ranger on the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. “That’s about the dumbest thing...

Trail Capitan’s Log Capitan Matt McWilliams Citico Creek Wilderness This July the 21st, in the year of 2017, Midsummer’s night marks the...

By Jennifer Millsaps Anxious. Socially awkward. That’s me in a nutshell. I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into when I...

SAWS hosted eleven US Naval Academy Midshipmen at Cave Mountain Lake Campground in Natural Bridge Station, VA for a weekend of...

SAWS opened a new regional office in Roanoke, VA this week. The Roanoke based staff will focus on the partnership role SAWS plays for the...

By Chris Robey When we brush, we work close to the water and use our creek voices to speak. The water’s voice is so loud you have to...

By Elizabeth Collins There I found myself - at the end of yet another seasonal job. I was getting good at this - not making any...

By Chris Robey One privy ditch dug, one bear bag hung and after a long first day my crewmates and I rest now on the cobble-strewn bank of...

We are kicking off a fundraising campaign for one of our 2017 Field Crews. Please consider donating through our gofundme campaign or...

By Abi Roberts Where would the great fungi civilization be, If with eyes, they saw as we? Comparing each and every stalk, As if the...