Pisgah Forest Chronicles: 50 Years of Exploring the Park and Beyond

Outdoorsman J. Oscar Butler recounts the joys, trials, and trails of a friendship fifty years in the making.

Under the light of a February full moon, five high school friends embarked on a backpacking excursion in the Pisgah National Forest in the Appalachian mountains of western North Carolina. Little did they know their trip would set the scene for an annual tradition that would last for fifty years. Through the years six of their backpacking brothers passed, all of them tragic losses. And after two decades of backpacking, the group began car camping to accommodate their aging bodies and allow them to continue meeting comfortably. Though three would continue to trek into the forest with their shelter and supplies on their back. Along the way, their shared experiences on and off the trail strengthened and solidified the bond between them.

In Pisgah Forest Chronicles, author, and one of the original five, J. Oscar Butler reminisces on their annual adventures, recalling the names and details of the many camp sites, trails, streams, and mountains they visited. Highlighting the mental and physical health benefits he and his friends experienced, Butler relates how the group also thrived by working as a team.

While Butler published this journal as a tribute to the families of their group, hikers and campers of all ages will enjoy the entertaining tales and informative guide cultivated by a group of lifelong friends.