The Team
Trails Magazine is filled every quarter with the words and photos of a small collection of writers, photographers, designers, and illustrators—they're the heart of this magazine. Our even smaller editorial team works hard to corral those contributors, gather and refine their very best work, and then piece it together to craft the magazine that makes it to your coffee table.
Ryan Wichelns is Trails Mag's editor-in-chief, web designer, video producer, ad salesperson, shipping clerk, social media manager, and basically anything else that the day calls for. Ryan grew up in New York's Adirondack Mountains and became Backpacker Magazine's go-to Northeast expert while still in college. Eventually, as they almost always do, he moved out to Colorado where he became a full-time freelance journalist. Two weeks traveling the Northville-Placid Trail in his home of the Adirondacks are among his favorite days spent backpacking.
Stasia Stockwell, Trails Mag's managing editor, is a mountain dweller and writer currently calling Colorado's Tenmile Range (native Ute land) home. She's been an outdoors journalist for nearly a decade with bylines in 5280, Backpacker, and Treeline Review, among others. Her favorite backpacking campsite is right in her backyard, somewhere deep in the Gore (Nuchu) Range.
Emily Sullivan (she/they) is Trail's Mag's photo editor. She is a photographer and writer based in Alaska on Dena’ina lands. Before settling in Anchorage, she spent a decade working as a hiking and backpacking guide in and around Denali National Park, traveling, shooting photos, and learning to ski. Her photos and writing appear in The Ski Journal, Adventure Journal, Wilder Magazine, Trailbreak Magazine, Hi Hey Hello Magazine, and more. Emily's favorite backpacking trip was a solo trip in 2018: She spent a week hiking and packrafting near the Arrigetch peaks in Gates of the Arctic National Park.