Thank you, Jim, for 35 years of copy editing!

Back in 1989, Jim Cavin hiked to Mount Persis. On the way back from the snowy trip, he and his group dropped off the ridge too soon. They weren’t lost — they could see the road — but they definitely didn’t take the easiest route. 

After the trip, Jim wrote up his first trip report for what was then called Signpost, WTA’s magazine. He worked downtown, near WTA’s office, so he went in to drop off his trip report. There, posted on the wall was the latest issue of Signpost with a blue pencil and a sign that said, “Don’t just stand there, proofread.” 

So Jim proofread. 

And he kept doing it — for 35 years — as the name of the magazine changed, as editors came and went, and as WTA grew dramatically. After many, many years of volunteering, Jim is now enjoying a well-earned retirement from fact-checking trail names, correcting typos and clarifying confusing sentences. His last issue was in August. 

Jim Cavin has been a dedicated volunteer for Washington Trails magazine for more than three decades. Photo courtesy of Jim Cavin

Jim admits that, at first, his volunteering wasn’t entirely altruistic. At the time, all trip reports were shared via the print magazine, which means there was a delay. By proofreading, he saw trip reports early. 

In his years with WTA, Jim has seen big changes. When he started, the entire WTA staff, except for one person, worked on Signpost. Now, while the magazine is still a vital part of our work, WTA is much larger and the magazine staff is dwarfed by the rest of the organization. Jim hasn’t proofread trip reports recently — those went fully digital in the mid-90’s — but he’s read pretty much everything else. 

Through the years, Jim has seen WTA stories shift while core values stayed the same. WTA started as a way for hikers to communicate and has grown to include advocacy, trail maintenance and equity work.

• Are you ready for winter?
• Every season is hiking season, but in winter there are extra variables to consider. check wta.org/winter for safety tips and suggestions for winter hikes. And you can use the snow-depth layer on our Hike Finder Map to help you plan your trips.

As an editor, Jim has a knack for finding sneaky errors that other folks may miss. And he has fun with it. 

“Jim has an easy laugh, a sly smile and a permanent twinkle in his eye. It was fun to get his proofreading notes back, because he’d inevitably find ways to infuse his copy edits with little jokes or wry critiques designed to make me smile,” said Lace Thornberg, former Washington Trails editor. 

Jim says he’s always worked to ensure accuracy of the magazine, while allowing for personality of each writer. 

“I will fix typos or spelling errors, but I like to let the author have their own voice,” Jim said. 

Jim will keep reading the magazine and following along with the adventures of WTA and the broader trail community. 

We wish him all the best and thank him for decades of work!