Imagine your Vacation… Making a Difference

SEATTLE –- Thinking of taking a vacation this summer? Spending a week breathing in fresh mountain air could do your body and soul a lot of good. It could also make a meaningful difference to our state’s beloved hiking trails.

Each year, more than 170 people spend a week on a Volunteer Vacation with Washington Trails Association, tending to local hiking trails and rejuvenating their souls at the same time.

“It is an amazing experience,” said Shane Ballweg of Seattle, who tries to squeeze in a few Volunteer Vacations with WTA each summer.  “Each trip is unique, and an excellent way to connect with nature, with trails, with kindred sprits, and most of all, with yourself.”

Tamara Neufer’s first Volunteer Vacation with WTA took her to trails near Lake Wenatchee. “The people made the trip. I have not laughed so hard in years. By the end of the week the comradeship gave me such a great feeling that I knew this would be an activity I would not be able to live without.”

It could be great conversation around the crackling campfire each night that brings volunteers like Shane and Tamara back again and again, or the delicious home-cooked meals, or stunning natural scenery of Washington’s backcountry.  Or maybe it’s the great feeling you get when you know you’re creating positive change with your hands.

It’s not all hard work—after all, this is your vacation. On a typical day you might find yourself lingering over your lunch in a sun-dappled meadow, awed by the natural scenery around you.  Maybe you’ll form some friendships with kindred spirits that last a lifetime.  Perhaps you will encounter a bird you have longed to observe, or make great strides in your wildflower identification skills.

You will most definitely be making a difference, a contribution to hiking trails that will serve generations of hikers to come. 

Each trip is unique, and addresses the trail needs of each particular area. On a volunteer vacation in late spring, you may find yourself handling a crosscut saw to remove wind-fallen logs that litter trails in the Sawtooth Wilderness and around Lake Chelan. These trips are the only hope of opening up popular early-season trails to hikers and stock.

As the snow melts, our crews move higher in the backcountry. This summer, you could wield a shovel to restore tread on the Goat Mountain Trail near Mount St. Helens. Or help reroute a section of trail washed away in winter rains at Mount Rainier.  Or replace a footbridge on the Hoh River Trail that was ripped away by storm damage.

WTA’s Volunteer Vacations play a particularly important role in the health of trails that are deep in the backcountry. Trails don’t maintain themselves – they need frequent maintenance and restoration. Weeds and brush make passage difficult for hikers.  Water runoff can cause deep ruts and holes in a trail, and rapid snowmelt can wash a bridge out in seconds. Well-traveled trails often suffer erosion. With Forest Srevice recreation funding at historic lows, Volunteer Vacations enable WTA to service backcountry trails that would not otherwise be maintained.

“If you love to be outside in the woods and want to make a difference to trails, our Volunteer Vacations are a wonderful way to spend a week,” said Jenni Blake, Director of Trail Programs for Washington Trails Association.  “With more than 30 unique Volunteer Vacations to Washington’s scenic backcountry scheduled this year, there is almost certainly an opportunity for everyone’s taste.”

No prior trail experience is necessary to take a Volunteer Vacation with WTA.  A Volunteer Vacation with WTA costs $150 ($125 for WTA members) and includes all your food. Subsequent trips are $75.

For more information, or to sign up for a Volunteer Vacation with Washington Trails Association, please call (206) 625-1367 or visit www.wta.org. Also, The organization is hosting a Volunteer Vacation Open House at Seattle REI on Saturday, March 1, 11am - 3pm (222 Yale Ave N.). Stop by the downstairs fireplace anytime that day to hear about the destinations, meet the crew leaders, and mingle with other volunteers.

Washington Trails Association is the voice for hikers in Washington state. We protect hiking trails and wildlands, take volunteers out to maintain trails, and promote hiking as a fun, healthy way to explore the outdoors.