Washington Trails Wants You!

Change Is in the Air 

Not only as springtime settles over the Northwest, but within the pages of your favorite magazine—Washington Trails. The new issue of WT will starting arriving in your mailboxes next week, and you're likely to notice a few things... different. It's still the same great magazine you know and love, full of all the news, features and hike suggestions you look for, now in a fresh, updated style.

But Washington Trails is still a members magazine, supported—and created—by you. As such, we're always on the lookout for talented writers and photographers to contribute to its pages. In the new issue, you'll be introduced to WT's new Regional Correspondents Team, a group of hikers, writers and photographers from across the state who will be providing the best in localized hiking opportunities, area news, and exciting feature content, all to help you get out on the trails—and maybe try a few new ones you may not be familiar with.

Yet even with our new team, we still want to hear from you. Next week, we'll be posting a new "Contributor's Guidelines" page to our website. In it will be detailed information on how you can get your story or photos into the pages of Washington Trails. We're even working on a few special projects where we're specifically looking from contributions from members and readers—that's you!

Haunted Hikes

OK, spring just started, how can we already be thinking about Halloween? That's the way the editorial world works—winter in summer, and summer in winter. It messes with the head a little—especially since the last thing we Northwest hikers want to think about during our short summer is more snow. Anyway. We're looking for your spooky stories on trail—unusual animal encounters, strange occurrences while backcountry camping, creepy things going 'bump' in the wilderness. We won't call out Agents Mulder and Scully, but we want to hear your story. Send a brief description of your experience to editor@wta.org. We'll be looking for several stories, and yours could be selected to appear in a future issue.

Featured Landscape

Nothing quite inspires hikers to get out and hit the trails more than a great photo. Images of flower-filled meadows, lush old-growth forest, pristine alpine lakes and high mountain passes tease and tantalize, and beckon us to the wilderness. So we want to see your photos—and share them with our readers. Every issue of Washington Trails ends with our Featured Landscape, a spectacular photo taken from somewhere on the wilderness trails in Washington. We need more of these, and encourage you to send in your photos. If your image is selected, we'll ask you to compose a brief description of the location, and describe your inspiration. Send your photo selections to photos@wta.org, with the subject line "Featured Landscape." Yours could be next!

More Opportunity

Want to contribute more? Contact editor@wta.org with your ideas. The slate for 2012's remaining issues is pretty full, but we're going to start planning for 2013 this summer—you just might have a story we're looking for. Photographers, email photos@wta.org and get on our photo pool mailing list and see your images in the pages of Washington Trails. Check out the new Contributor's Guidelines next week to see all the opportunities where you might be able to participate in the creation of Washington Trails, and stay tuned to the Signpost Blog for unique opportunities to get involved.

After all, Washington Trails isn't Washington Trails without you.