Hiker Headlines: Emerging Leaders Program Hiring, Breaking Ground on New Trail, Mount Rainier Road Closures

It’s Sept 28. WTA is hiring for its next Emerging Leaders Program cohort! We’re excited to have started work on a new trail in Whatcom County. Some new funding come to Pacific Northwest urban forests and communities. You'll want to plan around some road closures that might affect your upcoming hikes, as well as some upcoming prescribed burns near Trout Lake. And we’re starting to see some snow in the high country! Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

This year's ELP crew learned a lot and had fun working on trail in places like Wallace Falls and South Puget Sound. Photo by Angelic Friday.

Now hiring! WTA is looking for our next Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) cohort! ELP is a paid 14-week program designed for a diverse cohort of individuals — including Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) individuals and other shared identities — who want to form an inclusive community and build leadership skills to support future career interests in natural-resource stewardship and outdoor recreation. The program will run from Jan. 16 through April 19 next year. The priority application due date is Nov. 1 this year. The job will stay open until the positions are filled. 

A new trail: WTA broke ground on a new trail thanks to planning, funding and volunteer power. As a part of the Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan, WTA has begun work on the first trail in that plan near Olsen Creek. Learn about how you can support WTA's magic mix of work that's opening sustainable hiking opportunities around the state. 

Forest funding: The Forest Service is investing over $94 million into Pacific Northwest urban and community forests. The funding will be distributed to community-based organizations, tribes, local governments, non-profits, universities and other organizations for projects like rehabilitating urban communities and supporting the workforce that maintains local forests. Over $36 million has been allocated to Washington, funding projects like the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Culturally Modified Tree Protection Program and maintaining urban forests in several cities. 

Road closures: Plan for the following current and upcoming road closures as you plan your next hike:

• Sunrise Road in Mount Rainier National Park is closed temporarily due to snow. The road is estimated to close on Oct. 10 for the winter season. 
• SR 410 will be closed from 9 a.m. Oct. 2 through 12 p.m. Oct. 5 in both directions near Crystal Mountain Ski Resort (milepost 55) for construction. Plan to use I-90 or US 12 to cross the Cascades. During the closures, Sunrise at Mount Rainier will only be accessible via SR 123/Cayuse Pass from the south or via SR 410 from the west. 
• Expect intermittent closures on Cascade River Road in the North Cascades the week of Oct. 9 between mileposts 18 and 22 of up to 30 minutes due to construction. 
• The upper Mount Townsend trailhead will be inaccessible due to a road closure Oct. 5-8 for construction. The lower trailhead will remain open.
• The road to the Mount Walker summit is closed until further notice due to a landslide. The trailhead is still accessible. 
• Some gates on forest roads in Olympic National Forest will be closed for the season Oct. 2 for wildlife protection:
• Forest Road (FR) 2451 in the North Fork Skokomish River watershed
• FR 2354, 2353 and 2361 in the South Fork Skokomish River watershed
• Two gates on FR 2294 in the Wynoochee River watershed
• FR 2270 in the Wynoochee River watershed will be closing Nov 1

Burns near Trout Lake: Gifford Pinchot National Forest has planned some prescribed burns in the Trout Lake area starting around Oct. 7-21, if conditions allow. Expect smoke in the area. FR 8020, 8225 and 8020-021 north of Trout Lake may experience delays if visibility is poor. 

Snow is here! Fall has only just begun, but we’re starting to see snow in the high country so make sure to plan ahead if you’re heading out into high-up places. Bring extra waterproof layers, and plan for possible snowy conditions. 

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