Josh Thomas lives in the upstate of South Carolina and has lived in SC most of his life. James and Josh met while both were working for the Boy Scouts of America at a boy scout ranch in New Mexico doing trail construction in the late 1990s. After that, he’s seen and worked on virtually every trail type and job scope imaginable from totally unbuilt game trails that have turned into rec trails to class 5 hardened surface trails. He specializes in soil applications and logistics.
James Bakner lives along the Shenendoah Valley in Buena Vista, Virginia. Similarly to Josh, he also started doing trail work at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch, also for the BSA but in the early 1990s. His civil engineering degree from UT has served High Country Conservation well, in a variety of situations. His expertise is heavy equipment and trail design.