Remembering Ed Sutton
Join us at Stokesville Campground for a day of trails, tacos, stories, and community as we celebrate the life and legacy of Ed Sutton.
Trails, dirt, stories, and community.
Ed Sutton and Trail Dynamics didn’t just reshape trails in the North River District of the George Washington National Forest. Over multiple work stays in Harrisonburg and Stokesville, Ed became part of this community through volunteer trail days, social events, shared stories, and time spent on the trails.
On Saturday, May 30, friends, trail partners, and community members will gather at Stokesville Campground to remember Ed and celebrate the lasting mark he left on our trails and our lives.
Ed’s impact on our trails came in chapters.
From early rehabilitation projects to ambitious realignments on steep and technical terrain, Ed helped show what sustainable, artful, and community-centered trail building could look like in the Shenandoah Valley.
Building trust and restoring trails
The first phase of rehabilitation work, crafted by Rich Edwards while he was with IMBA Trail Solutions, helped build trust between the Coalition, trail partners, and Forest Service staff.
Ed brought a deep understanding of sustainable trail design and construction, helping restore some of our most resource-compromised trail segments while demonstrating the “science of trails” side of the Trail Dynamics philosophy.
Lookout, Narrowback, and the art of trail building
In 2012, Ed and Trail Dynamics returned for substantial trail realignments made possible by Coalition visionaries Thomas Jenkins, Mike Carpenter, Kyle Lawrence, and Chris Scott.
The projects involved extreme exposure, steep scree fields, massive boulders, and dangerous terrain. Many doubted machines could build sustainable trail in that environment. Ed was eager to give it a go and played a leading role in pushing the evolving craft of machine-built trail construction.
Lookout Mountain and Narrowback still display the art of Ed and Trail Dynamics and stand as a legacy that will never be forgotten.
Returning to Stokesville for another major phase
Our community was fortunate to welcome Ed and Trail Dynamics back for a third phase in 2016. Kyle, Thomas, and Mike helped push another outstanding project forward, while Andrew Mueller — now with Greenstone Trailcraft — served as Ed’s right-hand in North Carolina.
Together, they completed beautiful realignment work on Dowells Draft, laid incredible trail on Wolf Ridge and Chestnut Ridge, and carried out a massive amount of maintenance and brushing work.
Ed’s last stretch in Harrisonburg became a fitting swan song.
Trail Dynamics hunkered down at Stokesville Lodge for the entire project — a major upgrade from earlier “ChrisScottistan” days in downtown Harrisonburg.
During that trip, Ed finally had the chance to ride the Shenandoah Mountain 100 and experience much of his own work in a single day. While he was never into racing, Ed understood that the SM100 was a true soul ride.
He floated through it like nobody’s business and finished with one of the sweetest wheelies ever ridden across the line.
Celebrate Ed with us at Stokesville.
We were incredibly fortunate to share trails, dirt, stories, and community with Ed Sutton. His work is still under our tires. His spirit is still in these mountains. And his legacy will continue through every person who finds joy, challenge, connection, and meaning on the trails he helped create.
Please join us at Stokesville on Saturday, May 30 as we celebrate Ed’s life together.
Shred for Ed.
