Full gallery of portraits, with links to full interviews.

“I just find that people that work trails are some of the hardest working, down to earth, honest, real, good people. This lifestyle appeals to a certain kind of people that are not afraid of hard work, not afraid of community.”

“There's a firstness about manual labor in the woods that keeps trail work so regional. There is a vernacular. But there's still something interesting about that larger shared language.”

I wanted desperately to do work that would really make an impact in a real and tangible way. And trail work gave that to me. It felt immensely impactful. All of the sudden, I had interesting things to make art about again.

“These mountains have challenged me and they have loved me. They, without judgment, have seen me at my best and at my worst. They’ve shaped me into the person I am today. Giving thanks in the form of trail work is the best I can do with the fleeting timeline of my life. I can’t think of a better way to spend it.”

“That first spike was like, ‘Shit, this is hard, but fuck, this is beautiful.’”

“We were flying by the seat of our pants, trying to figure it out as we went. But it was amazing. The people there were just like some of the most larger-than-life people I've ever met.”

“There's a cultural shift happening in the outdoor and conservation world. We need to shift and start talking about things as community-focused. If we lose sight of who's using the trails or who can use the trails, then I think the work we do becomes a moot point.”

“We need cooks. Packers too. We need help. It’s getting harder to find people. The wages of these jobs are not really keeping up with what’s going on in the world. A lot of people are leaving because of it. That’s the real and sad truth.”

“Crew leading really teaches you so much about people and leadership in general. Every person is different. Every crew is different. Every project is different. It's really hard. It teaches you a lot about yourself.”

“As long as you lay strong, it could work. Anything works. And that's the beauty about stonework. You can make something out of your hands, and if you build it right, then it's everlasting.”

“I remember feeling like my soul was getting sucked out through the computer and my entire essence was turning the beige of my cubicle. And I was like, I gotta fucking get outta here.”

“If I could, I would do this for a lot longer. It’s been about 28 years of doing trail work. Happy, happy life.”