Youth Perspectives

We posed some questions to our youth volunteers about their time on trail crew. Here's what they had to say!

Q. Why do you volunteer with WTA?

 A. "Everyday doing trail crew you learn something about yourself. It gives you a lot of time to think. It’s meditative...like hiking solo. You learn about teamwork a little more every time you go. I like being able to work in a scenic places too. It reminds me that I could never work in a cubicle.”

- Brendan, Second year volunteer 

Q. What's a highlight from volunteering on trail crew? 

A. “How good it feels to be able to depend on other people to do their part and you do your part and work together to get something done. You take a step back and it’s like, Woah!, we actually completely redid this trail. It looks so good! "

- Zoe, Second year volunteer

Q. Why do you volunteer with WTA?

A. “I wanted to give back because I use the trails so much and it’s fun. You meet some really incredible people. This week I've have worked on two puncheon bridges, made better water crossings and learned a lot about the environment and trails. I like the camaraderie that forms with the crew, the hard work and being in the backcountry.”

 - Lena, Second year volunteer  

Q. What is something you have learned from volunteering with WTA?

A. “My first trip we were rained out. It rained the entire time. We all got really close. You can have a good time no matter what the circumstances. People might say, “Oh, that must have been the worst weeks of your summer” and you can say, “No, actually that was one of the best weeks of my summer.”

- Tzuria, Three year volunteer

Q. Why do you volunteer with WTA? 

A. “I like being away from civilization for a while and being able to try new food and sit around the fire and talk to people who you’ve never met before. I like to be out in the wilderness, see awesome views and meet new people. This time I got to meet some llamas. It’s just a great experience getting outside your house…and sleeping in a tent. I like the adventure of it.”

 - Tim, Three year volunteer  

Q. What's a highlight from volunteering on trail crew?

A. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of my past crew members a lot better and have made some new friends. It’s nice to get out into the wilderness and go to places I’ve never been before and maybe places I’ll come back to in the future.” 

- Sean, First year volunteer    

Q. What is something you have learned from volunteering with WTA?

 A. “I learned that if we all work as team we accomplish more in the end. We’ve been restoring trails and when we all work together we can get work done faster and more quickly. Come volunteer for WTA. It’s really fun!”

 - Kyra, First year volunteer 

Q. What advice would you give someone new to trail work?

A. "Appreciate the beauty of nature and have fun and enjoy yourself with all the new people that you meet. Enjoy your time on trail crew because you never know if will be able to do it again. ” 

  - Arian, Three year volunteer  

Q. What is something you have learned from volunteering with WTA?

A. "When you go out with WTA you look at the trails differently. When you're a regular hiker you don’t notice things like too much brush or muddy areas. But when you go out with WTA you start analyzing the trails you hike. You can look and see how people have worked on a trail that you didn’t notice before. I also like how we learn how to do trailwork well. I’ll have lots of cool training if I want a job in this field. More people should get out in nature...it’s so nice out here.”

 - Chelanne, Three year volunteer