Don Barger
Much of the attention that has come to the issue of air pollution in the Great Smoky Mountains in recent years comes from Don Barger, who founded the Southeast ...
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Laird Knight
As mountain biking developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Laird Knight saw opportunities with the new sport, and he began creating mountain bike events as...
Sue Haywood
A mountain biker for more than 20 years and on the professional mountain bike racing circuit for 15, Sue Haywood has scored plenty of wins including four nation...
Thomas Rain Crowe
Author, anthologist and recording artist Thomas Rain Crowe spent the first portion of his professional life as a poet. He was one of the Baby Beats and a friend...
James Dickey
It's ironic that a tale of unspeakable violence and terror on what was supposed to be a fun weekend canoeing trip has helped grow the sport of whitewater paddli...
Carol Ruckdeschel
The preservation of Georgia's Cumberland Island National Seashore—especially its 8,000-acre wilderness—owes much to Carol Ruckdeschel, an island resident and se...
Henry Berry Lowrie
North Carolina had a Robin Hood of its own during the final days of the Civil War and the Reconstruction period that followed, and his legendary status among th...
Elisha Mitchell
Even if you're unfamiliar with its namesake, you've probably heard of Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi River. Elisha Mitchell conducted ...
Wick Walker
D.C.-based Wick Walker had already made a name for himself from the international whitewater canoe World Championships of 1965, 1967 and 1971 when he made the 1...
Charles Frazier
Author and English professor Charles Frazier's novel "Cold Mountain" shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for more than a year...
Shane Benedict
The name Shane Benedict is synonymous with quality kayak design, and the co-founder of Liquidlogic Kayaks still gets out on the water every chance he gets. Bene...
Donna Lisenby
Just call her the Waterkeeper. Since 1998, Donna Lisenby has worked to protect rivers and waterways in a variety of positions with the Catawba Riverkeeper Found...
John Muir
Although much better known for his conservation efforts in the western U.S. and his founding of the Sierra Club, some of John Muir's most formative experiences ...
Norm Blair
Norm Blair has been running competitively since his high school days at T.C. Roberson High in south Asheville, and he also represented the Mountaineers while ru...
Sally Bethea
A speech by Robert Kennedy Jr. spurred Sally Bethea into a lifetime of environmental advocacy. In his 1992 inauguration address for Columbus, Georgia Mayor Fran...
Mike Sule
Asheville, North Carolina, is well known as an outdoor recreation hub, and part of that vibe traces directly back to Mike Sule, founder of the bike community gr...
Jeff Biggers
Historian, journalist, playwright and performance artist Jeff Biggers has created a number of written works that highlight Appalachian culture and the impact of...
Pat Keller
With parents who met at raft guides on the Chattooga, it was only natural for Pat Keller to follow in their watery footsteps. His parents sent him to instructio...
Emma Gatewood
Many people turn to nature as refuge, and it apparently hit the spot for "Grandma" Emma Rowena Gatewood, the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail so...
Hugh Irwin
Hugh Irwin spent the bulk of his career as a conservation planner and program director for the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, which put his master's deg...
Dink Taylor
Huntsville's Dink and Suzanne Taylor have established a shop that serves as the local running mecca. "Fleet Feet Sports" attracts runners of all stripes from ac...
Anna Levesque
Many outdoor sports start as primarily male pursuits, and Anna Levesque decided it was up to her to equalize the playing field for potential female whitewater k...
Gary Cantrell
After Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin, James Earl Ray, escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary and struggled to cover eight miles through the woods in...
Eric Hörst
Climber Eric Hörst cut his teeth on the crags around his childhood home of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, during the late 1970s and early 1980s and began traveling na...
Shiloh Mielke
Asheville native Shiloh Mielke clinched the area's Shut-In Race again last year, his sixth win on the notoriously difficult 17.8-miler that climbs 3,000 feet al...
