2026 Curry Craven Awardee: Brad Benz

Brad Benz, Brad Benz has been a dedicated ESWA member for 10 years. Brad makes time every summer for ESWA llama trips, VWR patrols, and Sawyer outings. He interacts and educates the public along the way, and has been seen filtering water for others, hiking people out of the Wilderness to safety, and even moving hikers’ cars! Before ESWA had a Sawyer program, Brad would single-handedly clear trails of dozens of trees and remediate the social trails. Years ago, there were two significant sections of downed avalanche trees on the Gore Range Trail. Brad cleared over 100 trees, using a Silky Saw given to him by the late Ken Harper. The next year, Summit County Rescue called the USFS to thank them, as the clearing facilitated a rescue operation in that area.

Brad is one of the “go-to” volunteers for the USFS’s more gnarly jobs; they often joke that they put up a ‘bat symbol” and Brad comes to the rescue. USFS Wilderness Ranger Mark Steinbrecher has worked with Brad for multiple years, and is always impressed. “Brad has an amazing sense of direction and navigation, somehow finding us with the sparsest of directions. He always puts up max effort, no task is too big for him, he never complains, and will help anyone and everyone. His endurance really shines in the Wilderness, and we couldn’t ask for a better ESWA volunteer and USFS partner. If you look up gumption in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Brad Benz.” There are so many stories. Mark remembers the time they were up on Brady Sopris Lake, and a large metal grate was floating in the middle of the alpine lake. While the group was discussing what to do, Brad dove into the deep and frigid water to retrieve the unsightly trash!

Finally, we could not talk about Brad’s accomplishments in the Wilderness without mentioning his heroic rescue of the late John Fielder’s llama in 2020. For a week, Brad hiked countless miles in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, both on and off trail, selflessly searching for the lost llama. He eventually found Earl with his lead tangled in brush, dehydrated and nearly starved. Without Brad’s dedication and backcountry knowledge, the llama likely would have died.

Whether he’s in a VWR uniform, working a saw, saving llamas, or performing some other thankless task in the Wilderness, Brad always has a positive attitude, and those who have worked with him consistently say that he makes their time in Wilderness more enjoyable. For all these reasons and more, Brad is a well-deserving recipient of the Currie Craven award! Thank you Brad!