September 2025 Trail Days, August Photos

September 2025 Trail Days

Hurricane Helene was really TWO disasters.  The first was the hurricane itself — lives lost, houses damaged, infrastructure destroyed.  The second is economic — livelihoods lost, businesses closed, communities that count on National Forest now struggling to hold on.  Before Helene, the mountain region’s National Forest rivers and trails were the cornerstone of a 5 billion dollar outdoor recreation economy in the counties that Wild South serves.  Now rivers are full of trash, and trails are lost to landslide or too eroded and dangerous to hike.  That means ongoing damage to the wild places we all love, and it means continued economic hardship in our mountain communities.

The road ahead is a long one, but Wild South remains committed to the South’s Forests and the National Forest communities critical to lasting conservation.  Let’s remember Helene.  Let’s remember the many lives that continue to be affected.  And let’s roll up our sleeves and lend a hand wherever needed.  Together we can restore the resources that form the fabric of a resilient relationship between people and place.

Wild South Community Day at Fonta Flora Brewery
Saturday, Sep 27, 12-4pm

Come celebrate 365 days of hurricane recovery courage!  Everyone is welcome at this community event as we look back at challenges overcome, and look ahead to challenges remaining.  We’ll get through it together, so hey let’s get together!

Volunteer Events

Wild South volunteer event emails go out monthly.  If you’re not already on the volunteer email list, please let us know if you’d like to be added.

• South Toe river cleanups on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Linville Gorge trail recovery on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Give us a shout when you can make it out, and we’ll keep you posted on that day’s details.

Now Hiring!

We’re putting together full-time, year-round trail & river strike teams to help with hurricane recovery on the Appalachian and Grandfather Ranger Districts.  Trail teams are hiring now.  River teams should be ready to hire this fall.

We’re also hiring a full-time, year-round invasive plants technician to continue projects near Hot Springs, and expedite hurricane recovery projects in the area.

If interested please contact us asap!

Press

Your support and boots-on-the-ground have made a huge difference in countless lives.  Initially it was out in the communities, helping with homes and human needs.  Lately it’s been on the Forests, restoring rivers and trails to help restart the local economy.  Word gets out!  Two recent articles:

• The Appalachian Voice – The Long Trail Back: Public Lands Recovery After Hurricane Helene
• Charlotte Magazine – After Helene, What Remains of the Linville Gorge?

August Photos

JONAS RIDGE TRAIL REROUTE –  The section of the Jonas Ridge Trail near Sitting Bear Rock has long been one of the most dangerous sections of trail in Linville Gorge.  Hurricane Helene made it even worse.  Wild South community volunteers and trails strike team have been hard at work building a safer and more sustainable reroute.

 

LINVILLE RIVER CLEANUP – Last month it was Elk River.  Next month the South Toe.  But this month it was time to start the long process of cleaning up the Linville River after Hurricane Helene.  There is all kinds of junk in there, including the battered kerosene tank in the photo (below).  All of it has to be collected into caches, then carried a thousand feet up out of the rugged Linville Gorge.

 

 

AMPHITHEATER TRAIL – It’s been almost a decade since Wild South spearheaded the plan to protect endangered plants and create sustainable climbing access in the breathtaking Amphitheater of Linville Gorge.  Now the time has come to implement.  This will be one of the most difficult and beneficial trail builds ever attempted in this area.  In August we updated the plan together with Mike Reardon of the Carolina Climbers Coalition.  We are grateful to have CCC, Access Fund, and the USFS Grandfather Ranger District as partners in this conservation effort.  Photo shows Mike at the top-out for The Daddy.