Tomorrow's Heroes

These 10 hikers are making a big difference

- By Steve Johnson

As backpackers, we know the effects of climate change better than most. We’ve hiked to the areas on the bleeding edge: the glacier that has dramatically receded so much that its days are numbered, the ponderosa pine forest weakened by drought and ravaged by pine beetles on overdrive, that secret valley where wildlife was once abundant. Thankfully for the wilderness—and us—there are hikers that are devoting their lives to reversing those trends. Here, get to know their projects—and the trails that inspire them.

MIKE DEBONIS

WATERBURY CENTER, VT

Executive Director, Green Mountain Club, greenmountainclub.org

Some organizations fighting climate change have been around a long time but are refocusing their efforts in new ways. The Green Mountain Club is one such organization. Founded in 1910 to build Vermont’s Long Trail, the GMC pursues a century-old stewardship mission, managing over 500 miles of trail.

“We saw a 35 percent increase in trail use in 2020,” Debonis says. “What does that mean for trails not originally built for that? Locally, our spring mud season now stretches throughout the year, consistently altering trail access. We need to look at trail-building through a climate change lens to blend rustic amenities with modern trail construction materials.”