Horsemen & Hikers Join Forces to Address Helene Damage

Just one week before my start date as SAWS' Virginia Volunteer Coordinator, I received a call about trees blocking Bobby's Trail in the Raccoon Branch Wilderness near Sugar Grove. Having spent most of the previous 17 months helping remove Hurricane Helene damage across the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, I was all too familiar with the challenges still facing our trails.

A short scouting trip confirmed what the caller had reported. Not only was Bobby's Trail littered with blowdowns, but the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail—an 81-mile route stretching from Whitetop Mountain to the New River—was buried beneath a maze of matchsticked logs.

The scale of the damage made one thing clear: this wasn't a project SAWS could tackle alone. Throughout my career, I've seen firsthand how successful trail work depends on strong partnerships, so I knew exactly who to call.

I picked up the phone and reached out to Nancy Sluys of the Virginia Highlands Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen. Since forming in 2007, the chapter has maintained trails throughout the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. With more than 100 dedicated members and national recognition for their trail stewardship, they were a natural partner for this effort.

The chapter had worked with SAWS before. In 2019, Nancy and other members used their pack mules to help remove the remains of the old Raccoon Branch Appalachian Trail Shelter. I knew they would be an excellent ally in tackling the hurricane damage.

Nancy and her husband, Bill, took the lead in recruiting volunteers, and our first workday together quickly reached the Wilderness group size limit of 10 participants. We spent a full

day on Bobby's Trail lopping vegetation, clearing blowdowns with crosscut saws, and wrestling with one particularly stubborn tree that seemed determined to stay put.

By day's end, we had nearly reached the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail junction before encountering an impenetrable wall of tangled trees. We documented the massive pile of deadfall for a future SAWS crew to address, but even with that obstacle, the day was a success. Although Bill jokingly suggested several times that a chainsaw would have made the work easier, he couldn't help but admit that tackling the challenge with traditional tools was a lot of fun.

When the full-time SAWS Helene Recovery Field Crew began an April hitch in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail was high on their priority list. Knowing that trail work is always better with more hands, Nancy once again rallied members of the Back Country Horsemen to help. She personally joined the crew and helped clear 15 trees during their first hitch in the area. The effort was further strengthened by the participation of SAWS Trail Specialist Coghlin Kumler.

I had initially promised Nancy that the trail would be cleared by the Summer Solstice. She planned to celebrate the longest day of the year by riding all 81 miles of the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail. As early May approached, I began to worry we might not deliver on that promise.

Thankfully, those concerns proved unfounded. By working together, SAWS and the Virginia Highlands Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen accomplished far more than either group could have alone. I'm proud to say the trail was fully cleared by May 28—weeks ahead of schedule.

I look forward to many more days in the woods with the Sluys family and the Virginia Highlands Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen. If you'd like to join us on our next adventure, sign up for the Little Dry Run Trail Workday on June 6.