Susan Elderkin Returns as Web Editor

It's great to be back as the Web Editor at Washington Trails Association.

For those of you who don't know me, I joined the staff of WTA in 2007 and launched the latest redesign of WTA's website, an enormous project that took 18 months to complete. Just as I finished that project in the fall of 2008, my daughter Aliza was born. And now, after a year at home with Aliza and my four year old son, Aidan, I've returned with renewed energy to WTA.

I've been hanging around Washington Trails Association for years. Fresh off a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail in 1995, and eager to give back to the trail community, I discovered WTA. Greg Ball was just initiating trail maintenance work parties (I think WTA recorded 240 hours that year), and I joined him on a weekend party at Lake Quinault.

Before I knew it, I had joined WTA's Board of Directors, where I served for six years as President, Treasurer, Communications Chair & Board Development Chair (fortunately not all at the same time!). Even though I left the board in 2004, I still kept coming back to WTA to serve on ad hoc committees. The last committee I was on - the Website Committee - stuck, and so here I am.

I've been on the job for a week now, and had a blast writing the current feature on Haunted Hikes. Over the coming months you can expect more fun features like that, more articles that expand on the stories in Washington Trails Magazine, and more seasonal hiking suggestions.

I am incredibly excited about the addition of Mountaineers Books' Day Hiking series to WTA's Hiking Guide. In case you haven't seen our Hiking Guide recently, you can now read the actual guidebook descriptions for 600 hikes in Washington. With the Trip Reports right there, it really is the best place to start planning your next hike. A special thanks goes out to Mountaineers Books and guidebook authors Craig Romano, Dan Nelson and Alan Bauer for donating their content to WTA.

One of my goals for this winter is to iron out the remaining kinks to the Hiking Guide and Trip Reports and to be very responsive to edits and additions.

I am always looking for new ideas for features and articles, so if you have them, please shoot them my way at susan@wta.org. I look forward to providing you a great WTA website experience!