OUTINGS LEADERS
These folks make the Forest interesting!
One good reason to sign up for a ForestWatch outing
is to meet the folks that take you into the woods.
Meet your hike leader - Joe Gatins
by Honor Woodard
I recently had a chat with our Joe Gatins about leading ForestWatch hikes. Joe’s hikes are special in their own way - his enthusiasm for these forests and, of course, his jovial laughter bellowing through the woods.
Of Joe’s first ForestWatch hike (in 2001, soon after Brent Martin prevailed on him to join the organization), he says "It was a winter tree identification hike in the Lake Russell Area led by Jim Sullivan. We were able to identify the trees from dead leaves, bark and also from tree crown shapes, and he showed us how to distinguish various types of pines based on how needles are arranged and such. It was a fascinating."
Having hiked extensively with the Nantahala Hiking Club, and himself maintaining a 2.5 mile section of the Appalachian Trail from Beech Gap to the top of Standing Indian in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness, (by hand, with only a swing blade and a folding handsaw for tools), and leading hikes for this club, Joe earned his chops.
About why he leads hikes, Joe says, "It’s interesting to do and a way to give back to the forest. Introducing newcomers to the forest in a safe manner is great way to inspire members and introduce city folks to the ways of the forest. I have learned so much about flora and fauna and I love to share this with others. Also a wise old neighbor, Jesse Ray Owens, took me under his wing and showed me a treasure trove of special places nearby, which have become heritage hikes - old indian areas, home places, mines, etc., and I love to share these with interested members."
What makes a hike with Joe Gatins special? Joe says, "You tell me! What I’ve got that some don’t emphasize is a feeling for heritage and oral histories I have gathered from some local gems. If I bring something that others don’t always - it’s knowledge of the oral history of an area. Like back in the 20s and earlier, there were eels that would come all the way up to Rabun and up into the West Fork and North Fork, of the Chattooga River from the ocean in Spring - and the men of the families would all go on fishing & camping trips and harvest the eels."
What has he learned from leading hikes? Joe said, "Now, I know the difference between a Sourwood and Dogwood - I could rattle off 20-25 native plants I never knew before - indian cucumber, squaw root, pipsissewa, rattlesnake plantain, trilliums, the lady slippers, various oaks and pines. By dint of repetition, one can learn these native plants and trees and this is pretty fascinating. There are also some spots populated by huge trees, and the forest becomes so majestic it’s awe-inspiring. Alone or with a couple others, you come across a spot that is just so drop-dead gorgeous you say" "holy s*** - that is just beautiful!"
