Hiker Headlines: Snow coming, avalanche safety event, trip reporting prizes, WTA survey

It's February 22. Brace for a winter storm this weekend. While you're weathering it, you can sign up for our  backcountry trips on Saturday morning, and complete our community survey, which closes on Sunday. And next week marks the end of the Enchantments lottery period as well as our #lovelocaltrails promotion. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

OK it might not be this much snow but we can hope! Photo by Anders Norman.

Winter storm warning: The U.S. National Weather Service is predicting a winter storm will bring snow to the mountains this weekend. Now's a good time to check out our new snow layer in our app and on our Hike Finder Map to double-check whether there's snow on the trail you want to hike. 

Backcountry trip registration: WTA's multi-night volunteer trips are popular for their gorgeous campsites, robust projects and fun crews. You can register for one at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. Before then, review this summer's schedule and pick a trip you want to join. Be sure you have an account on wta.org and complete a couple of forms so you can just click 'Join Work Party' on Saturday morning. See you there!

Last call for #lovelocaltrails: As part of our Trails Next Door work, we've invited you to participate in our Love Local Trails giveaway for the month of February. Write trip reports for the hikes you do this month and be entered to win a prize pack containing a 40-ounce Stanley Flowstate Tumbler, neck gaiter, dry bag and more. Just be sure to include the phrase #lovelocaltrails in your trip report.

WTA survey closes Feb. 25: We believe everyone should have access to the outdoors and feel welcome in our programs and the hiking community. So we're hosting our biannual community survey to get a sense of how hikers are feeling about a range of topics facing the trail community. However you engage with WTA, we value your experience with us and want your input. It's anonymous and will take about 8 minutes. All participants have the option to enter to win a $100 REI gift card. Your feedback will help shape our work toward a future with trails for everyone, forever.

WTA + NWAC avalanche awareness event. Join the Northwest Avalanche Center and WTA for an informative webinar about avalanche safety. This introductory class provides a basic approach to managing risk. NWAC instructors will explain how to access avalanche and mountain weather forecasts and recognize basic signs of avalanche danger. This class is free and open to all. Register now.

Enchantments lottery closes soon: Want to hike in the fabled Enchantments this summer? Because of the area's popularity, all overnight visitors must have a permit to camp in this area between May 15 and Oct. 31. Most of those permits are issued through an annual lottery, which closes Feb. 29. If you win a permit in the lottery, then you need to confirm and pay for it between March 14 and March 31, 2024. Get details on Enchantments permits.

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