BCRTs Accomplishments - 2011

Volunteers clearing the Colonel Bob trail did a LOT of sawing. Photo by Megan McKenzie.

Backcountry Response Teams (BCRTs) attract the hardiest volunteers - those who venture out into the wilderness, carrying everything they need to survive for the next three to eight days on their backs, plus shovels, pulaskis and saws for trail work.

In 2011, 144 such volunteers came out on 37 BCRT trips - 25 percent more than the the year before. WTA's volunteers are certainly getting hardier, but the secret is out that BCRTs are both fun and rewarding.

For the first time, WTA held three BCRTs on the Colonel Bob Trail in Olympic National Forest, one of WTA's Signature Trail Projects. This trail was devastated by a windstorm in 2007 and since then, more than 100 enormous trees have lain across the steep path, making it nearly impossible for hikers to reach the peak via the Colonel Bob Trail. Along with Forest Service crews, WTA's intrepid sawyers made great inroads in making this trail hikeable once again (see photo at right). Next year, hikers should be able to reach Colonel Bob Peak from Lake Quinault.

A WTA Backcountry Response Team poses with their handiwork: a new footbridge over Early Winters Creek on the Lone Fir trail. Photo by Joe Hofbeck.

On the Quartz Creek Trail in the Mount St. Helens region, another of WTA's Signature Projects, volunteers tackled more trees. An estimated 400 trees are jumbled over the trail in this magical old growth forest. Working with the Forest Service, we were able to clear the first 3.5 miles of trail, logging out some major trees and re-working the tread.

Volunteers did much more than sawing, however. At Snow Lake in the Enchantments area, volunteers completed three puncheon structures near the lake. On the Lone Fir trail in the Methow, volunteers made major headway on a new footbridge across Early Winters Creek (see photo). And on the West Fork Foss trail near Stevens Pass, two BCRT crews, along with several day trip crews, have helped rebuild the first three miles of trail to popular Trout Lake.

In addition to working on these trails, WTA also worked on three trails in the Northeast corner of the state,  another six trails on the Olympic Peninsula and many more. Check out all of the locations on the interactive map below.

A big thanks goes out to all of the volunteers who made this work possible! Learn more about Backcountry Response Teams and return January 30 to see the line-up for 2011.

Locations of BCRT Trips in 2011

No location data available for this hike