The Mountain Traditions Project

Neal Peterson is a plant geneticist who has been breeding pawpaw trees for over 45 years, and has come up with seven varieties of his own. At his home in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, Peterson says the pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to North America, but it has never been cultivated so you won't find it in grocery stores.

At Tom Dodd's home along the South Branch of the Potomac River in Greenspring, West Virginia, he and his friend JP Roby hold their annual cider-pressing party.

A native of Frostburg, Maryland, Mark Bowling learned to climb with his best friend in high school. Since then, he's climbed all over the world, and has worked as a climbing guide in Moab, Utah, and Joshua Tree National Park in California. While bouldering at Cooper's Rock State Forest in West Virginia, Bowling talks about the solitary pursuit of climbing as well as the greater climbing community.

Ben and Hana Yoder began Savage River Farm in the village of Pocahontas, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, less than ten years ago. While also raising two young children, the Yoders have achieved a successful farming venture, raising various kinds of livestock, vegetables, mushrooms – and running a local CSA program. They talk about the challenges of farming, but also their passion for small-scale agriculture in the region.

Jason Twigg is a Mount Savage native and thru-hiker who has completed the Triple Crown: 3 epic hikes in the U.S. that include the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail and the Appalachian Trail. On a hike along Big Savage Mountain in Garrett County, Maryland, Jason talks about his love for long-distance hiking and why he keeps doing it.