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A railroad line that once climbed one of the steepest grades in the country is getting a second life and it might become one of the most memorable rail-trails in the Southeast. We sit down with Leigh MacDonald (PAL) and Summer Flynn (Conserving Carolina) to unpack the Saluda Grade Trail: a 31.5-mile vision that links communities across North Carolina and South Carolina while honoring the corridor that helped build them in the first place.

We talk candidly about what it really takes to turn abandoned tracks into a multi-use trail, including complex partnerships, cross-state coordination, and the funding reality that shapes which miles get built first. You’ll hear how community engagement and real data guide decisions on parking, safety, accessibility, and “local-first” growth so the trail supports downtowns rather than overwhelming them. We also explore the character of the route itself, from small towns like Saluda, Tryon, Landrum, Campobello, and Inman to wetlands, waterfalls, and historic mill landscapes.

Just as important, this is a preservation and conservation story. Leigh and Summer share how they’re thinking about track removal, what rail artifacts may be worth keeping, and how protecting a continuous corridor can safeguard habitats and create future opportunities for interpretive signage and environmental education. We also dig into the ripple effects: connector trails, regional trail networks, youth-led heritage projects, and the surprising excitement kids have for how trails and bridges are actually built.

Follow the project, sign up for updates, and learn how to support the Saluda Grade Trail at saludagradetrail.org and if you like what you hear, subscribe, share the show, and leave a review.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
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Every bike has a story, and so do the people who build them. At the inaugural CRAFTED Bike & Gear Show at Cane Creek in Western North Carolina, I set out to hear those stories—and came away with far more conversations than I could fit into a typical episode.

In this extended episode of Exploration Local, we meet the people behind the bikes, gear, and ideas shaping the cycling world. There’s a look at how open-source design could help make adaptive cycling more accessible, a conversation with a 17-year-old building his own mountain bike frame, and stories from the makers and brands whose creativity keeps pushing the industry forward.

Along the way, we explore the craft, challenges, and thinking behind the products we ride, and meet people who are finding new ways to bring more people into the sport.

I wish I could have included every conversation, but these are some of the stories that stuck with me. Together, they offer a glimpse into a cycling community where creativity, craftsmanship, and a willingness to try something different can lead to some pretty interesting places.

Come along for this extended visit to CRAFTED. There are plenty of stories here worth discovering.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
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58 million acres of national forest land have stayed largely free of new road building for more than two decades and that protection is now under real pressure. I sit down with Carla Fox, Membership Director at The Conservation Alliance, to break down what the Roadless Rule actually does, why it was created, and what the U.S. Forest Service is proposing through its draft environmental impact statement.

We get specific about what “inventoried roadless areas” are, how they differ from designated Wilderness, and why the debate isn’t just about policy language. Roads change everything: access for logging, the likelihood of broader industrial development, and the long-term character of places people hike, hunt, fish, climb, and camp. Carla also explains the public comment process and why the October 6 deadline matters if you want your voice in the record.

Then we bring it home to North Carolina, where roadless protections cover parts of Pisgah and Nantahala in the mountains and Croatan on the coast. We talk about maps that show what could lose protection, how iconic corridors like the Appalachian Trail intersect roadless areas, and why clean drinking water and wildlife habitat belong in the same conversation as outdoor recreation and the outdoor economy.

If you care about public lands, this is a practical, time-sensitive listen. Subscribe, share this with one friend who spends time in the forest, and leave a review to help more people find it. What place would you hate to see changed by new roads?

1. The link for individuals to submit a comment
2. Impacts of Roadless Rule on NC specifically
3. Defenders of Wildlife interactive map showing at risk species in roadless areas
4. AllTrails top 50 trails list
5. USFS state-by-state map.
6. https://runnersforpubliclands.org/roadless-rule/
7. 7.TCA responds to Roadless Rule

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
[email protected]

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Trailside Brewing is one of those places that makes you rethink what a “local brewery” can be. In this episode, I sit down with David Schnitzer, CEO and Owner who built his career in summer camps and outdoor leadership, and you can hear that DNA in everything Trailside has become in Hendersonville, North Carolina. This isn’t just a stop for a pint. It’s a gathering point where people show up after a ride on the Ecusta Trail, linger for a meal, and leave with new friends.

We dig into the winding path that leads here, from launching Appalachian Coffee Company to navigating the post-COVID moment that finally made the leap possible. David shares how Trailside grows by focusing on experience over transactions: clubs that meet weekly, outdoor film nights, live music that feels like a ritual, and a steady effort to create a welcoming culture for locals and visitors alike. If you care about community building, small business story, or the way trails shape towns, there’s a lot here for you.

You’ll also hear the behind-the-scenes realities of running a craft brewery and restaurant: trusting great people, dealing with aging brewing equipment, scaling up to meet demand, and making choices that balance growth with being a good neighbor. We wrap with what’s next, including potential beer distribution and plans for an intimate listening-room style music series.

Subscribe to Exploration Local, share this with a friend who loves the outdoors, and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
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[email protected]

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What happens when you connect people to nature? For Carolyn Ashworth, President & CEO of FIND Outdoors, that connection is at the heart of their work.

FIND Outdoors grew out of the Cradle of Forestry in Western North Carolina and today works across North Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky, helping people experience public lands through campgrounds, visitor centers, recreation sites, guided experiences and education.

Carolyn's connection to the Cradle is personal. She spent time there as a kid, inspired by a Forest Service neighbor who seemed to have her dream job. Decades later, she returned to the place that helped shape her—this time as the leader of FIND Outdoors.

We talk about the history of the Cradle of Forestry, the changing role of partnerships in caring for public lands, the challenges facing these places, and why connecting people to nature can inspire them to care about and protect the places they love.

Along the way, we explore some of the remarkable places FIND Outdoors helps manage—from the Cradle of Forestry and Carolina Hemlocks in Western North Carolina to Brasstown Bald and Anna Ruby Falls in Georgia and Red River Gorge in Kentucky.

They also talk about wonder, stewardship, public lands as our shared heritage, and the experiences that remind us just how incredible the places around us really are.

Discover. Connect. Care. Protect.

A conversation with FIND Outdoors about the people, places and experiences that connect us to the outdoors.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
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700 miles across North Carolina in 17 days sounds like an endurance headline. But after talking with Jonathan Milkovich, it’s the reason behind the run that sticks.

Jonathan is a lifelong runner, Army airborne infantryman, and founder of Operation Warrior Fit—a nonprofit connecting veterans, first responders, active duty, and National Guard through fitness, competition, and community.

He shares the personal path that brought him here: a knee injury, the isolation of the COVID era, the loss of a buddy, struggles with alcohol and mental health, and the decision to choose help, sobriety, and a different direction.

Now, through Operation Carolina, Jonathan is running 700 miles across North Carolina to raise awareness and funds while sending a simple message: sometimes one mile, one conversation, or the right group of people can become a turning point.

We talk about veteran and first responder mental health, suicide prevention, the power of accountability, and why building community may be just as important as the miles themselves.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
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In this episode I sit down with Executive Producer Michael Foley and Director Christopher Pike to talk about Scars on the Mountain, their feature documentary now streaming on Angel Studios. Foley shares what it was like to mobilize with volunteer helicopters, deliver medicine, and witness a grassroots rescue effort that became Operation Helo. Chris walks through the hardest part of the work: earning trust in small mountain towns, holding space for grief, and refusing to make what he calls “glorified disaster porn.” Christopher and Foley share interviews that still sit with them, the role of faith and resilience in recovery, and why the storm is only the backdrop for a story about humanity.

We also pull back the curtain on distribution and rejection: film festivals said no, then Angel Studios’ guild voting said yes. If you want a grounded look at disaster recovery in Appalachia, community resilience, ethical documentary filmmaking, and how everyday people become the lifeline, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who believes good stories can move people to action.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
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For Sarah and Eric Rehmann, a dream of a different kind of life eventually led them to the mountains of Western North Carolina — and to an eleven-acre property that became the foundation for Cullowheegee Farms.

What began as a small batch of handmade soap grew into a collection of natural goods inspired by the land, the seasons, and the values they live by.

But this isn’t just a story about soap. It’s a story about listening to a place, building community, and allowing the landscape around you to shape the life you’re creating.

In this episode of Exploration Local, we explore the connection between people and place with Sarah and Eric Rehmann of Cullowheegee Farms.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
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In this episode, I sit down with Andrew Kota of Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina as they celebrate 30 years of protecting the landscapes of western North Carolina. We talk about the work happening across eight counties, why protecting the headwaters of the Broad, Catawba, and Yadkin rivers matters to millions of people downstream, and how conservation today shapes the places we'll explore tomorrow.

Our conversation centers on the Wilderness Gateway State Trail—how it's being built, why it's unlike most long-distance trails, and what makes this one of the most exciting outdoor projects happening in North Carolina. Behind every mile of the Wilderness Gateway State Trail is a much bigger story—one of land conservation, clean water, working farms, wildlife habitat, and the partnerships that make it all possible.

If you care about trails, conservation, clean water, or simply understanding what it takes to protect the places we love, I think you'll enjoy this conversation.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
[email protected]

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What started as a podcast about trails, towns, rivers, and destinations has become something deeper: an exploration of the relationship between people and place.

In this episode, I step back to trace how that realization formed over time. From conservationists protecting land corridors and trail builders connecting communities to tourism leaders balancing growth and preservation, seemingly different stories reveal a common thread—connection, stewardship, identity, and belonging.

Along the way, I reflect on years of conversations across the Blue Ridge and beyond, and how stories about conservation, recreation, history, tourism, and community all began revealing the same underlying connections.

I also explore the biggest shift in how this show is hosted: moving from asking "Where is it?" to asking "Why does it matter?"

Because the stories that stay with us aren't defined by coordinates. They're defined by meaning, memory, and the connections between people, land, and community.

And perhaps that's what Exploration Local has been about all along.

Wander Far. Explore Local.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
[email protected]

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