The Buckeye Trail Association

I met Aidan Reagh, the Marketing Coordinator for the Buckeye Trail Association, at the OOREC conference in Athens. We talked about the Buckeye Trail, the people who care for it, and the sheer amount of unseen work required to keep a fourteen hundred mile trail connected across Ohio. That first conversation set everything in motion. A few months later, I was invited to Trail Fest to speak about photography and meet more of the volunteers who hold this trail together. Since then, I’ve photographed headshots for the organization, partnered with them as their contracted photographer, and continue to serve on committees as this project grows.

Portraits of Adventure exists to tell real human stories, and the Buckeye Trail has an entire community of them. These are people who give their time to a trail that connects towns, neighborhoods, farmland, forests, and river corridors. Some repaint faded blazes. Some clear debris after storms. Some show up at local events to help people learn that a long distance trail is right in their backyard. Most of the effort is quiet and easy to overlook, but without it, access to the trail changes quickly.

The Buckeye Trail Association has woven this portrait series into their outreach because it helps them show the real people behind the trail. They use the images and stories throughout their biggest annual fundraising campaign, on their website, in their magazine The Trailblazer, and across social media. The video we created together has become a tool for engagement, helping them share the work of their volunteers with donors, hikers, and anyone curious about the trail.

These portraits give the trail a face. They highlight the people who keep the Buckeye Trail open, cared for, and worth returning to. They show the culture that makes this trail possible. The Buckeye Trail