58 years of Signpost magazine: Vintage finds from the early years of WTA

"This little newsletter has been an experiment so far, testing a hunch I've had that such a means of communication among walkers is needed." — Louise Marshall, Signpost magazine, 1966.

Today marks the 58th anniversary of the first issue of Signpost magazine and the origin story of Washington Trails Association.

In 1966, the late guidebook author, hiker and mountaineer Louise Marshall founded WTA as Signpost, a grassroots newsletter where trail lovers in the Northwest could share their backcountry adventures and trail conditions. She turned out the first two-and-a half page issue on a spirit duplicator, a fussy but inexpensive printing technology.

Thanks to Louise’s leadership, those early magazines created in a little red barn evolved into Washington Trails Association, a wide community of hikers speaking out for trails and wildlands. 

• 3 ways we helped trails in 1966 that you can still do today
• 1. Post a trip report. Helping other hikers never goes out of style.
  
  
• 2. Sign up to take action. We still need to work for trail funding and access.
  
  3. Donate. Become a member to support our work and get the latest magazine.

What you learn when you browse those early issues is that while a lot of things have changed, many of the fundamental needs of the trail community remain the same.

People want to spend time in nature. We want to help each other and are driven to protect the landscapes we love. As trail users, we need good information and some basic gear to get outside.

Gear and the way we share information has changed many times (mapping via CD-Rom, anyone?)  but you know what? Some of those early topics are still interesting to hikers everywhere.

To celebrate 58 years of being a part of Washington's hiking and trail community, we delve into the archive for a few vintage finds. Enjoy!

January 1978: The shoulder strap office

One project we came across was the "Shoulder Strap Office", which gives hikers a way to carry a pen, small personal items, a notebook, or whatever else they wanted to pack along and have easy access to on the strap of their backpack.

While the item pre-dates cell phones or running vests, if you're up for a fun project, it might just be the gear hack you've been looking for.

Instructions (to the right) taken from the January 1978 edition of Signpost.

With the right materials and mindset, you'll soon be able to show off your own Shoulder Strap Office.

Note: the instructions above are for backpacks that have shoulder straps attached via grommets. You can avoid removing the strap of your backpack by sewing the pouch around the strap instead of sliding it on.

September 1988: Optimizing Gear

Custom gear maker Dan McHale was featured in a piece about making custom gear. An avid mountaineer, he focused on custom packs because he knew so many people who didn't get outside because they couldn't find comfortable backpacks. Dan's packs were sturdy, and built to last. He fitted customers in his shop and took their feedback into account when designing a product for them.

These days, his packs are almost unthinkably heavy (20 pounds, to be exact) but gear was heavier then, too. And when you're carrying 60 pounds of climbing equipment and everything else to keep yourself fed and watered for a few days in the backcountry, you want something that won't fall apart!

You can find our current gear recommendations as well as tips for taking care of it on our site.

September 1999: Moving From Print to Digital

Thanks to early staffer and tech guy Bill Sunderland, WTA had one of the first websites at the dawn of the Internet, and oh-em-gee is the ad for it fantastic.

Despite getting online early,WTA would continue to print trip reports and Northwest Explorer (the precursor to Northwest Weekend) for many years. But thanks to Bill's foresight, we got in on the ground floor of online information sharing, and has been helping inform hikers across the state for many years.

Dozens of people got WTA going, and our power still comes from our community of supporters. Thank you.