{"id":6703,"date":"2016-01-28T12:30:41","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T20:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=6703"},"modified":"2018-11-11T21:50:28","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T05:50:28","slug":"loving-the-wilderness-to-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/loving-the-wilderness-to-death","title":{"rendered":"Loving the Wilderness to Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

Only when his kayak flipped in the rapids did Jeff Marion\u2014then a teenaged Eagle Scout\u2014realize that wearing boots had been a bad idea. The spray skirt came off but the boots didn\u2019t; their rubber lugs were wedged into the hull, and Jeff was upside down in the river.<\/p>\n

It was an early spring day, freezing cold. \u201cI got one leg loose, and the other was just stuck,\u201d Jeff says. His friends were \u201ccanoeing like crazy\u201d to catch up. Finally he wrenched the other boot free and came up for air. \u201cI remember standing on the shoreline like it was yesterday,\u201d Jeff says. \u201cI\u2019ve never been so wired in my life.\u201d That was only one of several close calls in his thrill-seeking youth.<\/p>\n

Jeff grew up exploring the caves, woods and rivers of Kentucky, and at 58, he still gravitates toward \u201chigh adventure.\u201d But he is also a naturalist\u2014he learned the names of wildflowers and birds from his mother\u2014and he cares deeply about the impact that his activities and others\u2019 have on the earth.<\/p>\n

Now a research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, stationed at Virginia Tech, Jeff\u2019s specialty is Recreation Ecology, meaning he studies visitor impact to protected natural areas and consults with land managers to make visitation sustainable. By his account, he is one of four such scientists actively conducting research in the U.S., and he has mentored most of his colleagues. The research studies that Jeff and his graduate students undertake are driven by one central question: Are we loving our parks and wildernesses to death? \u201cYes, to some extent we are,\u201d says Jeff. \u201cIt\u2019s essentially unavoidable.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a serious issue for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy<\/a>. The trail is suffering from erosion and other damage, partly because the trail itself is unsustainable, and partly because visitors tend toward high-impact behavior. Even when they\u2019re aware of Leave No Trace principles<\/a>, if they aren\u2019t compelled by what Jeff calls \u201cethical underpinnings\u201d to use low-impact practices, they\u2019ll end up trashing the trail.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Appalachian<\/p>\n

Jeff Marion measures erosion on the A.T. His research utilizes GIS\u00a0computerized mapping and soil sampling to document trail damage.<\/em><\/p>\n

The A.T. has a \u201cwarm, fuzzy place\u201d in Jeff\u2019s heart. He started hiking it in 1972, when he was in ninth grade, and after 43 years and 24 hikes, he finally finished it last September. \u201cAfter so long hiking, it\u2019s become a part of my life,\u201d he says. When he reached Maine, his wife Susie joined him so they could summit Mt. Katahdin together, just as they had on their honeymoon.<\/p>\n

Jeff loved the peace and solitude of his A.T. hikes, and his periodic immersions gave him the breaks he needed from being a self-described \u201cworkaholic.\u201d But according to him, a recreation ecologist can never just enjoy a hike. On the A.T., \u201cI\u2019d stop and I\u2019d say, Man, who the hell put the trail right here?\u201d Jeff says. \u201cAnd I\u2019d get all bummed out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each time a section of trail wears out, the A.T. stewards reroute it, which leaves erosion trenches behind. It\u2019s a short-term fix that causes more damage over time. Jeff sent a proposal to the A.T. community with the question: \u201cHow do we make the A.T. sustainable so that we can put thousands of people up and down it every year, and it will be here in a thousand years\u2019 time, and it won\u2019t just wear away?\u201d The result of that proposal is a three-year, $300,000 study with recreation fees paid by National Park visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m nearing the end of my career, and I really wanted to finish with a comprehensive study to end all studies on trails research,\u201d Jeff says. \u201cSo I wrote it big.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Appalachian<\/p>\n

Left, Jeff in his office at Virginia Tech, where he is an adjunct professor. Right, leading research assistants Jeremy Wimpey, PhD, and Dylan Spencer on the A.T.<\/em><\/p>\n

The study seeks to document not just the extent of the damage, but what\u2019s causing it. The first thing to consider is whether the trail is in the right place. To determine that, Jeff\u2019s team takes soil samples from different sections of the trail, and they also use cutting-edge technology like LiDAR data and GIS computerized mapping to help them analyze factors contributing to soil loss. \u201cOnce we understand that better through science, we can go out and design new trails that will avoid those things,\u201d Jeff says. \u201cSo the next time we have to relocate part of the A.T., we\u2019ll be moving it to a spot where it will stay in good shape forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second thing to consider is how visitors are using the trail. That\u2019s where Jeff\u2019s knowledge of Leave No Trace comes in\u2014as one of the founding members, he literally wrote the book on the subject. But he\u2019s most passionate about teaching young people. \u201cMy forte is experiential teaching out in the woods,\u201d Jeff says. \u201cA lot of the kids that grow up in urban areas are looking at screens all day long and they probably aren\u2019t candidates for successful Leave No Trace education, because they don\u2019t have a personal connection to nature. And that\u2019s a little scary, quite frankly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff is on his 11th year with the Venture Crew, a co-ed group facilitated by the Boy Scouts. He had been a scoutmaster for his son\u2019s troop, but he switched to Venturing when his daughter turned 14, so she and her friends could go on high-adventure trips, too. The crew he leads is still predominantly girls. \u201cI am exceptionally impressed by the young women today,\u201d Jeff says. \u201cThey are so empowered, competent and active in outdoor pursuits.\u201d His 14\u201318 year-olds not only gain confidence and wilderness skills, but inevitably become Leave No Trace ambassadors. The Boy Scouts also study his book, which means Jeff is reaching millions of kids. \u201cWhen I\u2019m on my deathbed, that\u2019s what I’m going to remember,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Appalachian<\/p>\n

Jeff keeps backpacking and climbing gear at hand for himself and his\u00a0graduate students, who are invaluable to his research on the A.T.<\/em><\/p>\n

The less inspiring alternative to education is regulation. The A.T. is considering limiting access to meet carrying capacity, as some other parks have done. It would be a reversal for the National Parks Service, which is running the \u201cFind Your Park<\/a>\u201d campaign to attract younger and more diverse visitors, not turn people away. It\u2019s an option Jeff is working hard to avoid. \u201cThe gate will get bigger and higher, you know? I\u2019d always rather have education succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between science and education, Jeff is completely optimistic that the trail will win. \u201cWe\u2019ll dramatically improve its sustainability,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt in my mind that we will. The research has already led to a lot of new knowledge that will help us build a better trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on top of saving the A.T., venturing with teenagers, and raising the occasional llama, Jeff is a steward of his own private ecosystem. He had become concerned by the disappearance of toads near his home, so he built them a pond. The first year, \u201c2,000 tadpoles turned into little tiny toads and dispersed.\u201d He\u2019s sure that hundreds of his toads have survived. His next project was repopulating the newts, but the bullfrogs have been eating them. So this year, the scientist plans to play God. \u201cThe bullfrogs are going to go for a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"AT_ThoughtLeader_Image4_Alt_border\"<\/p>\n

Learn more at REI.com\/trails<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Only when his kayak flipped in the rapids did Jeff Marion\u2014then a teenaged Eagle Scout\u2014realize that wearing boots had been a bad idea. The spray skirt came off but the boots didn\u2019t; their rubber lugs were wedged into the hull, and Jeff was upside down in the river. It was an early spring day, freezing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[15,400,8,138],"internal-tag":[1673,611],"class_list":["post-6703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-backpacking","tag-every-trail-connects","tag-hike","tag-united-states","internal-tag-pre-redirect-hike","internal-tag-stacey-cook"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/loving-the-wilderness-to-death","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Loving the Wilderness to Death","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/loving-the-wilderness-to-death","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/loving-the-wilderness-to-death"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/AT-ThoughtLeader-Feature.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/AT-ThoughtLeader-Feature.jpg?fit=1500%2C960"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["backpacking","every trail connects","hike","united states"],"dateCreated":"2016-01-28T20:30:41Z","datePublished":"2016-01-28T20:30:41Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T05:50:28Z"},"rendered":"