Somehow Hopeful
Somehow Hopeful

Somehow Hopeful

The Story of a Woodsman

a documentary by Jerry McNutt

Jason Rutledge has worked in the Appalachian mountains for over 40 years. From the beginning of his career in the woods, he was told he needed to embrace modern technology, rely on heavy machinery and exploit the forest for all its worth. But, fate had different plans for Jason. Through an almost magical coincidence, a rare horse breed came into his life, and he shunned the industrial trappings of his trade and embraced the proven methods of the last thousand years.

Somehow Hopeful
Aaron was an apprentice that was studying with Jason during the making of Somehow Hopeful. Aaron has since graduated and received his Biological Woodsmen Certificate. Aaron is a young man who is intent on following in Jason’s footsteps. He takes great pride in studying with Jason and hopes to advance Jason’s forty years of knowledge during his own career in the forest working with horses.

Jason’s livelihood is based on the productivity of the Appalachian mountains, one of the most versatile hardwood forests in the world. But, this woodsman is not like most in his trade, Jason uses Suffolk Punch horses, an endangered breed of draft horses, to harvest the bounty of Virginia’s forests. Horses allow Jason a consistent power source that is agile enough to go deep into the woods with no need for roads. Jason and his equine team extract only the trees that are ready for harvest. The goal is to leave the forest healthier than before they arrived. There was a time when Jason’s methods were met with skepticism from the logging industry as well as private landowners, but after years of determination, the woodsman is winning the battle of principles and changing the minds of those who matter. During a public debate, a representative of the industrial logging complex laughed at Jason’s suggestions saying, “Mr. Rutledge, at that pace, you’ll never finish!” Jason replied, “That’s the point… to always have a healthy forest, and to always have sustainable work.”

Somehow Hopeful
The horse to the right of the frame is Ent, a descendant of the very first Suffolk that Jason saw in England over forty years ago. It’s a great story and will have you believing in fate.

Jason and his cohorts shatter the Appalachian stereotype. They’re intelligent, funny, confident, artists and musicians who are poetic, not only in their words, but also in how they live their lives. They understand the importance of living in a healthy environment and will fight, as they’ve done in the past, to protect it. We live in a time when resources are being used at a record pace – just for the sake of consumerism. Vital ecosystems are being destroyed for shampoo and cooking oil. Once abundant and rich landscapes are now desolate – due to mining. Clean water is rare. The oceans are polluted, and fish populations are horrifyingly low. Our soil contains poison which will be there for many hundreds of years. Does the way forward mean looking back to proven, sensible methods? The answer may be in a place called Floyd County, Virginia, where, despite the challenges, the people remain Somehow Hopeful.


Somehow Hopeful
Chad and Frank with team. This was shot on a day with some impressive steep pulls of very heavy logs. Chad Miano used a unicorn hitch, meaning he added a third horse to the front for additional power, to get logs up the steep incline while easing the load on the horses. The horses made these pulls with ease – something no truck could ever hope to accomplish. Any machine that could do the job would also wreck the entire forest floor.
Somehow Hopeful
Somehow Hopeful

Movie Review by Lynn R. Miller

The important and insightful ‘Somehow Hopeful’ would at first glance appear to be a documentary film about the remarkable forester and horselogger Jason Rutledge, but a careful viewing, by those in the know as well as the uninitiated, reveals that it is quite a bit more; it is a deep dive into the woodswork and educational culture of modern day Appalachia.

Somehow Hopeful
Kelly, much like Aaron, was also studying with Jason. Kelly is a force of nature. She has a strength and intelligence that is always present. She grew up in Florida but wanted to work with horses so, like many before her, found her way to Jason’s Ridgewind Suffolk Farm. Kelly was recently gifted two Suffolk Punch horses by Jason’s Healing Harvest Foundation. Personally, I think we will hear from Kelly again. She loves to work with disadvantaged youth and is a champion of having a healthy environment.
Somehow Hopeful

All his life Jason Rutledge has been a stalwart and focused individual, ideally suited to present himself and his beliefs with authority and down-home wisdom. He believes in and loves his life’s work. And even more, he is a vocal champion of the Suffolk Punch draft horse breed. When we ‘see’ him talking about and working with these magnificent horses, the seams are gone. When we hear him referencing the invisible insides of an ailing tree, once again the seams are gone. When he marvels still that the work he understands, believes in and practices results in an ever healthier forest, you can almost feel the trees nodding. And when Jason shares ways with his students of how they might improve their unfolding relationship with the horses, you can see by the set of his shoulders that he’s doing what he must. Jerry McNutt’s wonderful film does its job, allowing us in.

Somehow Hopeful
Every year, college professor Rachel Kohl brings her students from Virginia Tech to see what a working farm should look like. She wants to expose them to the option of horse power since many are deeply concerned about the inevitable debt that heavy, industrial farming equipment often demands.

The forests of the world ‘host’ us. There are ways that intelligent and sensitive stewardship of a local forest, where the human element serves as a humble manager rather than a parasite, results in mutual benefit; results in an ever increasing fertility and production of trees and harvestable wood. McNutt’s excellent film shows this to us from the perspective of horse loggers, foresters, and the students while adding intriguing views into the sustainable forestry practices of Berea College’s extensive forest holdings.

Somehow Hopeful

This reading community is, for the most part, unified in its belief that we, as farmers, must work to have beneficial relationships with nature. That’s why it’s easy for me to say you will enjoy and learn from every moment of this good feature length film about the love of and respect for nature. – Lynn Miller


Somehow Hopeful
Sam Tackett was working with Berea College in Kentucky when I visited. Sam is also a Biological Woodsman and longtime horseman. During my visit, Sam had to drop a very dangerous tree – one large tree had fallen in a storm and was currently leaning hard against another tree that was marked for harvest. It should be noted that Biological Woodsmen are taught to only take trees that are past their prime. Once their rate of decline is faster than their growth rate, it’s time to harvest. There are many markers that must be present before a tree is taken for harvest. Sam’s cut was executed well but also perfectly illustrated just how dangerous logging can be.
Somehow Hopeful

How To See This Film

Somehow Hopeful is a brand new release, so at this time the best way to find out where you can see the documentary is to visit the website: www.SomehowHopeful.com

It is currently available for rent on Vimeo.com, where you can also see a preview.

Somehow Hopeful
I was always impressed with Jason’s daily grind of getting up early, walking the property to check on the horses, meet their needs with food and water, etc. Once the chores are done, it’s time to get to work. He chooses two horses and brings them to the barn to put on their harnesses. He always talks sweetly to the horses as he brushes them and checks to make sure they don’t have any physical issues prior to work. The entire process can be anywhere from 30 minutes to half an hour but Jason is always patient and moves at a pace that keeps the horses calm. He often says, “Horses can only be horses, so I have to learn their language and make adjustments so they see me as their leader. I need to be the one they trust to meet their needs.”
Somehow Hopeful
Somehow Hopeful