Connecting Thread

Jul 17

Brittany & Ernie

Hocking Hills State Park, OH

August 2025

Six miles in to a nine mile hike on the Buckeye Trail, Brittany and Ernie are celebrating Earnie’s 36th birthday. Ernie, who lives with a mechanical device called and LVAD is awaiting a heart transplant, though there’s hope he may not need one as his heart continues to recover. Before his illness, just before COVID, he was an EMT. Now, the northern Michigan native spends much of his time hiking, and riding dirt bikes with his kids.

Brittany works in a hospital. Because you can’t just grab batteries off the shelf for the LVAD, she carries spares that weigh around 18lbs. She’s his partner in every sense, keeping him going and, in her words, “in line.”

They told me they love finding quiet stretches of trail away from the crowds. Ernie has visited every waterfall in Michigan, but here they traded home’s rushing water for Ohio sandstone and summer heat. They were staying in the area, checking out local adventures for several days.

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Abdel Halloway teaches ecology at Case Western Reserve University, thinking about nature more than experiencing it. A birding workshop at the University of Akron Field Station pulled him outside.

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Elaine, a retired school nurse and lifelong teacher, leads free pontoon tours at Presque Isle State Park, sharing local history and lessons on how industry shaped the waterfront. Off the water she works with seniors on balance and strength, and still kayaks with her husband.It All Begins Here

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Each chapter is handled with care, honesty and respect. Here is what is takes to be considered for the next one

E 185th Spillway

A spillway rebuilt so steelhead trout can find their way back to Lake Erie. Coming Fall 2026.

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A 50 year old private trail, its final season open before logging moves in on land once used as a landfill.

3 Trackers

An adaptive ski program where students and volunteers make the slopes work for everyone.

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Where this project began, a free national park that taught me how much people shape a place.

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The volunteers who keep a 1,400 mile trail connected across Ohio, one blaze and cleared log at a time.

The Gorge Dam

A dam removal on the Cuyahoga River and the people affected by the restoration. Coming Fall 2026.

The Connecting Thread

Kite surfers, mountain bikers, skaters, people met in passing rather than by appointment.

University of Akron

Portraits of Akron students building a life around the outdoors, met through a campus climate symposium and the people who followed.

Brittany & Ernie

Josh Reuck

Brittany & Ernie

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josh@joshreuck.com

Josh Reuck Photography