Blog

The Tellico Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest in conjunction with Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) is...

A blog by Anna Tawril, a member of our Southern Crew this summer: I’ve always believed that simply being in wilderness is inspiring, good...

By Bill Hodge, Executive Director The season always begins with excitement for some, trepidation for others, and the giddiness of meeting...

Bill Hodge, Executive Director Dinner was cooking in our pot, and we were in heaven. Our camp was in the Olympic Wilderness, near...

by Scotty Bowman, Field Supervisor I arise early, just after sunrise. It is early July and there is a slight chill in the air. I get...

By Bill Hodge, Executive Director As I laid in my hammock, literally on the edge of the Linville Gorge, my attempts to sleep alluding me,...

By Bill Hodge, Executive Director On Wednesday, the Wilderness Skills Institute planning team gathered at the Cradle of Forestry. With a...

By Bill Hodge, (soon to be) Executive Director The sounds of hammers and drills have filled the air here at the Southern Appalachian...

By Nathan Mynatt, Wilderness Ranger As the leaves fall from the trees signaling the season's draw to a close, I have the chance to look...

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, I decided to make a beer with as many ingredients as possible gathered from...

By Charlie Smillie, Wilderness Ranger In my time as a Wilderness Ranger, the forests and trails have been companion and muse: Farewell...

By Lida Wise, Wilderness Conservation Corps Crew Leader I am clambering hands and knees through an endless tunnel of rhododendron,...

by Eric Giebelstein, Wilderness Ranger I was recently tasked with finding an elusive abandoned campsite in the Saint Mary's Wilderness....

By David Cohen, Wilderness Ranger It is beneficial for a Wilderness Ranger to occasionally travel beyond where the trail ends. In my...

By Emily Patton, Crew Member Wilderness Conservation Corps (WCC) Citico Creek, Shining Rock, Iron Mountain, Joyce Kilmer, and the Black...

By James Lautzenheiser, Crew Leader I like remote, unpopulated places. Fewer humans, more wildness. Finding myself in wilderness has...

By Scotty Bowman, Field Supervisor Some people call it a sling blade. I call it a swing blade, while others call it a grass whip. What it...

By Heather Eggleston, Wilderness Ranger I pause mid creek on a round red rock. I look where the water comes from and where it is going...

By Charlie Smillie, Wilderness Ranger It’s a beautiful day in the Wilderness neighborhood, here on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National...

By Eric Giebelstein, Wilderness Ranger While monitoring for solitude in the wonderful Ramsey's Draft Wilderness in Virginia, I came...