Backcountry Response Teams
WTA's Backcountry Response Teams (BCRTs) are 3-8 day work parties of 4-12 participants who address backcountry trail maintenance needs. Volunteers are expected to bring and carry all gear required for overnight stays, including a tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear and food - as well as tools. Details and schedule.
- The fleet-footed Devils Dome-Jackita Ridge BCRT crew removed 61 logs while backpacking 30 miles. Photo by Tom Mayernik.
Backpacking + Trail Maintenance = BCRT. (Or at least most of the time it does.) Because many of WTA's one-day and weekend work parties are only able to address the first few miles of trail, there is a need to have extended 3 to 8 day work parties to tackle maintenance needs of trails that head further into the backcountry.
Backcountry Response Teams (BCRTs) of 4 to 12 people will be led by a WTA crew leader and follow WTA trail work guidelines. Due to the more arduous nature of these work parties, BCRT volunteers must be in good physical condition and will be expected to be equipped and able to carry all gear required for an overnight stay including a tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear and food for the entire trip.
Volunteers will also be asked to carry heavy work tools which may include loppers, pulaskis, shovels, grub hoes and crosscut saws. We encourage you to share some general gear with others in the group (stoves, cookware, etc), and we can try to facilitate this consolidation of equipment via e-mail and at the trailhead.
BCRTs are challenging, but they are also very rewarding. Volunteers will to hike and work in beautiful terrain on interesting trails that need a lot of work. And folks will still have time to relax and enjoy the company of their fellow trail workers. We suggest you read the agendas carefully before signing up, as there is a range of difficulty for each trip.
Before you sign up:
You will be asked to completed an application/medical form after you sign-up for a trip. For other requirements and expectations, read through our FAQs for our Backcountry Response Teams.
- You must be 18 years old or older to join. For high school students, we offer Youth Volunteer Vacations.
- More interested in something less rigorous but equally fun? On a Volunteer Vacation, WTA provides you with a week of fine cooking, great company and a meaningful project.
2013 BCRT Schedule:
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