Volunteer Vacation Crew Leaders

These are some of the men and women that will work with you while you're out on a WTA Volunteer Vacation.

These are some of the men and women that will work with you while you're out on a Volunteer Vacation. They'll make sure you are safe, having a great time and eating plenty of good food. Volunteer Vacations (for adults) are indicated in red, Youth Volunteer Vacations are indicated in green.

Jane Baker

PCT Meander Meadows, Aug 25

Jane first started trail work in 1987 with the Sierra Club Outings. But when she learned about WTA in 2005 she jumped ship and has been enjoying Volunteer Vacations ever since. She supports her outdoor recreation and trail work habits by being a physical therapist. She lives in Spokane and has helped get a foothold for WTA in Eastern Washington; come check out the Salmo-Priest Wilderness and the Colville National Forest sometime! But every once in a while she likes to get back to the Cascades and work on the PCT, which is where you'll find her this August.

Lisa Black

Bird Creek Meadows, Aug 4

Lisa is a Seattle native who grew up hiking in the Cascades and Olympics. From her home in Everett, she's been working on trails for seven years and leads day work parties when the need arises. Away from her night job as a pediatric nurse, Lisa gets out in her yard, knits, and has lately been indulging an interest in Egyptology.

Arlen Bogaards

Vendovi Island, Mar 24
Moore Point, Apr 14
Leadbetter Point, Oct 7

Growing up on the family farm in the shadow of Mt Baker, Arlen discovered the great outdoors and the wonders of nature. Influenced by an aunt with a penchant for hiking, and involvement with a local youth group, Arlen learned to love hiking and camping. Arlen volunteered with WTA before becoming WTA's year-round Northwest Washington Crew Leader. He leads early-season Volunteer Vacations and spends his summer leading weekend trips in the Mount Baker district, as well as winter work parties in the Bellingham area. Arlen loves to travel, work on trails, garden, play and listen to music. If his guitar or mandolin is anywhere nearby you might find yourself singing around a campfire after a great day on trail.

Kathy Bogaards

Moore Point, April 22
Wonderland Trail, Jun 2
Holden Ranger Station, Jun 30
PCT Pear Lake, Jul 28
Goat Rocks, Aug 18
Holden Village, Sept 22

Kathy has been volunteering on trails with WTA for five years in the Bellingham/Mt Baker district. She has great enthusiasm for nature and the outdoors and documenting every nuance of it with her camera. Kathy has worked two seasons with the Mt Baker/Snowqualmie Forest Service trail crew as well as a volunteer crew leader for WTA. When Kathy and her husband, Arlen, aren’t enjoy their new home and hobby farm in the foothills of Mt Baker, they enjoy hiking, camping, snowboarding and volunteering on each other’s WTA work parties.

Barbara Budd

Wonderland Trail, May 26
Sawtooth Ridge, Jun 9
South Fork Tieton, Jul 14
Vanson Ridge, Aug 11
PCT Meander Meadows, Aug 25
PCT at Deep Lake, Sept 8
Holden Village, Sept 29

Over a decade ago, Barbara succumbed to her growing need for mountains by taking a one-year-long job in Washington. She's been finding excuses to stay ever since, including working trails for the Forest Service where she started out as a volunteer wilderness ranger. Can there be anything better in life than living in a tent for three months surrounded by mountains, lakes, glaciers, and alpine meadows? Since then, she's served as USFS liaison to a whole bunch of WTA trips. Now, she's thrilled to be on the other side of that equation. When she's not out on the trail, Barbara loves to travel, sing, and dance. Hmmm...guess you can do those things on the trail, too.

Steve Hertzfeld

Pasayten Wilderness, Jun 1
PCT Meander Meadows, Aug 18
PCT at Deep Lake, Sept 1

Steve began working with WTA in 2005 as an intern for the Youth program at Wallace Falls State Park, where he learned how to make one zip-lock lunch bag last an entire week. Since then he has been leading Volunteer Vacations for adults, as well as the Advanced Youth Volunteer Vacations. Steve graduated from the University of Washington, majoring in comparative religion, and continues to make good use of his degree while coaching crew during the winter and leading Volunteer Vacations in the summer. When not working on trails, he spends his time sharpening up on competitive scrabble, going out on hikes, and taking road-trips.

Janice O'Connor

Kalaloch Beach, Mar 31
Cascade Creek, May 5
Gibraltar Mountain, Jun 9
Bean Creek Basin, Jul 28
Indian Heaven, Sept 1

When she isn't leading a volunteer Vacation during the summer, you will find her volunteering her time leading day trips and Backcountry Response Teams for WTA on the Olympic Peninsula, or scouting trails on her pal Moby (photo). Janice is a semi-retired Registered Nurse has been leading trail crews for about seven years. She joined WTA 10 years ago after running in to a crew while out on a hike and being told to "pick up that shovel and help us out" by Greg Ball, one of WTA's most memorable crew leaders. She has met some of the most terrific folks out on work crews, and her favorite tool is the shovel.