Debbie Fogle is a multi-hyphenate outdoor person.
As the founder of Hike Southwest, Women in the Wild and Alpine Trail Stewards, she not only shares her love of Eastern Arizona’s White Mountains through her business endeavors, she gives back to her community with a vengeance.
The Nutrioso resident is a professional horse trainer by trade who – along with her husband, Aaron, who is a big game outfitter – has taken the restoration of White Mountains trails into her own capable hands.
“The Wallow Fire really took a toll on our trails,” Fogle says of the 2011 blaze that destroyed more than a half-million acres of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. “We realized that the forest service alone was not going to be able to get the trails cleared, so we took it upon ourselves to help get it done.”
That was the inspiration for forming Alpine Trail Stewards, a group of about 50 engaged locals who scout the trails, identify needs and do the sweaty work. “We developed a relationship with the forest service, and it took about a year to get a volunteer service agreement in place so we could get out there.”
Since its inception in 2023, the grassroots, all-volunteer group has made big inroads in restoring the ravaged trails. One big milestone happened last June 7 (National Trails Day) with the re-opening of the Government Trail No. 119, which gains more than 1,000 feet on the flanks of 10,912-foot Escudilla Mountain near Alpine.
“It was totally destroyed,” Fogle says of the 3-mile historic route. “People said it would be too hard to clear, but we jumped on it. When I first saw the burnt trail, it was a wall of logs. I thought, ‘We can’t clear this.’ But we just did it.”
To date, ATS has cut 832 downed trees and contributed more than 550 volunteer hours to the project. And because half the trail is in wilderness where power tools are not allowed, 573 of those trees were cut using a hand crosscut saw.
When asked what drives her, Fogle doesn’t hesitate. “The easy answer is, I’m tired of banging my knees on trees and hitting my shins climbing over rocks… I like helping people and animals, and it makes me feel good doing something that’s going to last a long time and set a good example. I’m a doer, and I hope more people will be inspired to come out and help us.”
IF YOU GO
Alpine Trail Stewards
hikesouthwest.com
NEXT MONTH:
Arizona Burn Foundation Hikers
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