Explore Our Spring 2026 Issue
Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, ‘Place Attachment,’ the original mobile homes, and afternoon tea
Introducing Our Spring 2026 Issue
Welcome to spring! In this issue of Backroad Portfolio, experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail through a South Carolina couple’s first-person account, find why “place attachment” is particularly strong in small towns, discover a new meaning for mobile homes, tour afternoon tea services between Charleston and Augusta, and more.
Explorer subscribers: You’ll receive your printed issue within two weeks.
Last night, we sent out an email containing our stunning Winter 2026 Portfolio collection and erroneously left off credits for two photos, taken by Eifel Kreutz and Robert Clark. We’ve corrected those captions and apologize for the omission. Check it out below.
Now, let’s preview our spring features!
Committing to the Climb
A South Carolina couple finds joy, kindness, and simplicity on the Appalachian Trail
Introduction by the Backroad Portfolio staff
On March 25, 2007, Ron and Kelly Gaulden stepped onto the 8.5-mile Approach Trail at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia—their packs heavy with dreams and gear. Five and a half months later, on September 5, they stood atop Katahdin in Maine’s Baxter State Park, having covered roughly 2,175 miles northbound through snowstorms, rhododendron tunnels, and bear encounters.
Love Where You Live
Place attachment in small and rural communities
By Dr. Katherine Loflin
For nearly two decades, my work has centered on one deceptively simple question: Why do people love where they live—and why does that love matter? What I’ve learned: Our relationship with place determines far more than we realize. When we feel that we “fit” where we live, we don’t just survive—we thrive.
The Original Mobile Homes
They aren’t what you think
By Tom Poland
I’ve been traveling Highway 378/78 to Athens, Georgia, all my life. When I can, I avoid the bypass and drive through the heart of Washington, Georgia, a beautiful town named in honor of our first president. Living across the Savannah River, on trips to Athens, I take my South Carolina friends through Washington so they can marvel at its majestic Southern homes.
There and Back Again: Charleston to Augusta
Southern Afternoon Tea Experiences
By the Backroad Portfolio staff
This recurring feature takes you to and from two destinations via winding rural roads lined with charming small towns, captivating landscapes, historic structures and, in this particular journey, Southern tea rooms and services that offer refined and delicious experiences. We’ve designed this journey to span three days, but you can stretch it out to four or five if you choose.
Plus:
A Hollywood screenwriter returns to Florida, the history of South Carolina’s Curryton Magnolia, how to write your own memoirs, and one man’s discovery of a family secret.
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Backroad Portfolio is for explorers.
Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.
Take the long way home.
Another great issue. Proud to be in it. Thank you.