Remembering Dave Youmans: An AT Champion
If you have hiked the AT between Georgia and Virginia in the last decade, you likely saw or met Dave Youmans.
Dave was a champion and stalwart of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.) in southwest Virginia and beyond. He passed away on Thursday, July 4, 2024 in the company of his family and his life partner Amanda Kulkoski in Savannah, GA. Dave suffered a debilitating stroke during elective shoulder surgery in June.
Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Dave moved to the Roanoke, Virginia area in 2013 from northern Virginia after being the managing partner of a real estate company in Maryland, a diver for a maritime construction and transportation firm in Louisiana, and a psychiatric social worker for the state of Delaware. An avid hiker, traveler, and outdoor lover; he quickly became involved with the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club (RATC) and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC).
With RATC, from 2014-2022, Dave volunteered in many roles: trail maintainer, land management supervisor, and club representative to the Virginia A.T. Regional Partnership Committee. He was also part of the inaugural cohort of Volunteer Ridgerunners, when the McAfee Knob Task Force was created in 2015. In 2014 and 2015, he volunteered a total of 9 weeks on the ATC Konnarock, Rocky Top, and Mid-Atlantic Trail Crews.
In 2016, Dave became an ATC staff member as Crew Leader for both the Konnarock and Rocky Top trail crew programs. With Konnarock, Dave worked on A.T. projects including the Justus Mtn trail relocation (GA), Standing Indian Mtn trail rehabilitation (NC), Backbone Rock relo (TN), and in Virginia: Mount Rogers High Country rehab, Bluff City relo, New River relo, Highcock Knob relo, and Rockfish Gap rehab.
In 2017, Dave became the A.T. Catawba Mountain Ridgerunner – a seasonal ATC staffer working daily on a popular, heavily-used, and impacted 40-mile section of the A.T. covering “Virginia’s Hiking Triple Crown”, including McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs (both on National Park Service lands), and Dragon’s Tooth (on USDA Forest Service lands). He remained in this role for four years – personally contacting, informing, and educating hikers, backpackers, trail runners, rock climbers, and dog walkers; while also leading and supporting more than two dozen volunteer ridgerunners of the McAfee Knob Task Force (MKTF). As Ridgerunner, Dave was the face of ATC, of RATC, and of the A.T. to thousands of A.T. visitors each season.
Amanda and Dave first met in August 2017 at Campbell Shelter while she was backpacking and he was on-duty as the Catawba Ridgerunner. Dave offered his contact information for any future trip-planning needs, Amanda followed up, and a long-distance romance was born.
In 2021, while continuing to be an active RATC volunteer, Dave became the Mountain Region Public Access Steward for the Natural Heritage Program of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Although this role took him away from the A.T., he continued to protect southwest Virginia’s beloved hiking destinations by interpreting the natural history and local regulations to visitors at Buffalo Mountain and Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserves.
In late 2022, Dave relocated to Savannah, Georgia to live with Amanda, while maintaining his house in Roanoke. Amanda and several of Dave’s family members will celebrate his life on a hike to Tinker Cliffs this summer.
Few individuals impact the A.T. and the people who visit it in so many different ways in such a short time as Dave did. He was able to engage effectively with a wide range of people from fellow volunteers to both tenderfeet and experienced trail hikers to agency decision-makers and affect positive change, always with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.
Thank you, Dave – wishing you challenging trails and far views.
In remembrance of Dave, his family suggests donating to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
in Memory of David Youmans, aka “Ranger Dave”.
“I will always remember those dark smiling eyes and his snarky yet good-spirited humor.”
— DIANA CHRISTOPULOS, RATC Archivist & McAfee Knob Task Force Ridgerunner; past President of RATC and past member of ATC President’s Leadership Circle
“Dave always embodied what it means to be a steward of the Trail. He was hard working and up for any task; joyful in service and truly happy to do the small things, both asked and unasked. Those many small acts of service over many years added up to an incredible contribution to the AT partnership, to the RATC, and to the Trail he loved.”— ANDREW DOWNS, Senior Regional Director-South, ATC
“He always had a smile ready.”— JIM WEBB, RATC Trail Supervisor
“Dave stepped up to be Catawba Mountain Ridgerunner when we were in a tight spot and needed to hire quickly. I don’t think speaking with strangers was his comfort zone at first, but he was great at it. His genuine love of the Trail just shone through in a way that was contagious, for visitors and for everyone he worked with. He led by example with that quiet authenticity. It’s hard to set foot on the Trail in our region without touching something that Dave helped protect or improve.”— Kathryn Herndon-Powell; Central Virginia Regional Manager, ATC
“I “followed” Dave as the Catawba Ridgerunner starting in 2021 and have heard so many stories from so many people about him and his time working for ATC. I deeply appreciate the work he did and the legacy he leaves behind.”
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SUZANNE NEAL; Catawba Ridgerunner, 2021-ongoing, ATC
“Dave was always so full of life and a pleasure to be around. He was truly dedicated to the Trail.”
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MIKE VAUGHN; past RATC Trail Supervisor
“After camping at Lambert’s Meadow during an overnight patrol, I thought I was getting an early start only to find Dave already cooking oatmeal on top of Tinker Cliffs. As we sat, talked, and ate breakfast, the sky turned black. The hike/wade/slip down the Andy Layne Trail together left us looking like muddy drowned rats – Dave was smiling ear-to-ear the whole time.”
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BRIAN WILSON; NPS A.T. Law Enforcement Ranger
“Dave was a happy, outgoing, knowledgeable trail and nature lover who passionately followed his heart, while living life to the fullest.”
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BRIAN BOGGS; RATC Board Member and McAfee Knob Task Force Representative
“I always admire how Dave could find humor in even the most serious of conversations and situations. He was always a great friend and will be deeply missed. His legacy of love for life, the Trail, and the Trail community lives on in all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.”
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CONNER McBANE; Natural Resources Manager, ATC
“Every single work hike or McAfee Knob Task Force hike I ever went on, I hoped I would run into Dave on the Trail. I truly did. I will miss him.”
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MARK FARRELL; RATC member and Trail volunteer
“Dave was the perfect Public Access Technician for the Mountain Region (2021-2022). He expertly navigated his interactions with the public to both protect Virginia’s rarest habitats and help visitors to Natural Area Preserves have the best possible experiences.”
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RYAN KLOPF; Mountain Region Steward & Natural Areas Science Coordinator, Natural Heritage Program of Virginia Dept. of Conservation & Recreation
“Dave was a wonderful mentor for volunteer Ridgerunners – knowledgeable and full of good humor.”
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SUSAN TERWILLIGER; RATC Secretary and McAfee Knob Task Force volunteer Ridgerunner
“Dave is an inspiration as a life well-lived and a true hero of public lands who made an impact on everyone he taught, from meetings about agreements with boring District Rangers (sorry, Dave) to welcoming a new hiker to the outdoors at McAfee. Happy trails, Dave – you will be missed.”
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DAN McKEAGUE; former USFS Eastern Divide District Ranger (2015-2020), current Deputy Regional Forester, USFS Northern Region, Missoula MT
“As Dave himself would say – “he was an OKAY guy.” (smile). I am lucky to have gotten to know and work with him.”
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BILL NEILAN; past President of RATC
“Dave was a champ and was always great to work with. Whether dealing with a difficult Konnarock trail crew week or trying to reclaim an exceedingly challenging section of AT corridor boundary line, Dave never faltered and was always looking forward. His roguish grin was always appreciated, even more so when followed up with one of his dry comments. He did so much.”
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JOSH KLOEHN, Senior Trail Operations Manager, ATC
“There are so many things I could say about working with Dave both as a volunteer and as a co-worker at Konnarock and Mid-Atlantic. However, the funniest was early-on, when teaching him and other crew volunteers about making “fine crush” for steps. I said, don’t hold a larger piece of rock crush between your thumb and index finger, or you may hit your hand. Dave immediately did exactly the opposite and hammered his thumb hard – he said: “You mean like this ?”
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JERRY KYLE; High Country Regional Manager & Konnarock Trail Crew Program Manager, ATC
“Dave epitomized the enduring non-federal-governmental strength of the A.T. – as an ATC Trail Crew Leader, as ATC Catawba Ridgerunner, as RATC volunteer and club leader – always with his sly smile, that twinkle in his eye, his quick wit, and unfailing good cheer.”
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PETE IRVINE; RATC volunteer troad maintainer and USFS-GWJeffNFs Trails Program Manager (retired)