Hard Hats Off to the Korean Mountaineers

Hard hats off to the Korean Mountaineers! At a recent work party, seven members of the group received their green hard hats, which are given to volunteers upon their fifth day of work with WTA. No one at WTA can remember a time when so many green hats were presented at a single work party.

And what a work party it was. Through hard work, amazing teamwork, good humor and a fantastic picnic spread of food, this group always impresses its crew leaders.

"Sang Won goes by the nickname of "Superman," but every one of the Korean Mountaineers are superheroes - faster than the speed of light, able to leap rock piles with a single bound, and as a group, they are more powerful than any locomotive I've seen!" said assistant crew leader JB Robinson.

Superlatives aside, the admiration by WTA's crew leaders of the group's sense of community is universal, and it manifests itself in many different ways. For instance, one participant brought to the work party a large box of snacks she had individually prepared and bagged for everyone. Someone else brought gloves for every participant. And the abundant food at lunch time was shared with everyone.

At the worksite, teamwork made the work go quickly. One of the tasks was to disperse hunks of turned-over sod. Instead of everyone filling and struggling to haul their own bucket, the women made lighter work of it by filling two buckets and hauling them with three people.

The Korean Mountaineers go hiking every Saturday, rain or shine. They started volunteering for WTA twice a year as a way to give back to the trails that they enjoy hiking. "While we do volunteering with WTA, we have a great time - not only for feeling of performance and recompense but also for learning the way of making and maintaining trails," said Choon Lee.

Like all of our volunteers, this group is doing an excellent job of fulfilling the WTA trail maintenance motto: stay safe, have a lot of fun and get some work done.

If your group or organization would like to volunteer with WTA, please read about WTA's Group Volunteer Opportunities. It takes a few months of lead time to set up these special work parties. Smaller groups, and individuals, are welcome on our daily work parties. WTA is on the trail six days a week year-round.