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WTA Volunteers = New Trails + Great Work on our Public Lands

Posted by Rebecca Lavigne at Oct 06, 2014 03:22 PM |
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WTA hosted seven different work parties for National Public Lands Day, working on trails up and down the Cascades and in the Olympics.

WTA hosted seven different work parties for National Public Lands Day, working on trails up and down the Cascades and in the Olympics. Below is a recap of some of the highlights.

A look back at National Public Lands Day with WTA

  • Smokey Bear spent National Public Lands Day at Mount St. Helens, where WTA volunteers put the finishing touches on the new ADA-accessible Volcano Viewpoint Trail near Ape Caves.
  • WTA wrapped up a great season of work at Mount Rainier National Park with a work party on the Wonderland Trail near popular Narada Falls.
  • A strong showing of volunteers devoted their weekend to improving the trail at Heather Meadows on Mount Baker.

Heather Meadows NPLD 2014
The crew at Heather Meadows for National Public Lands Day
  • Volunteers in the Olympics improved the tread on the beloved trail to the top of Mount Townsend.
  • Our annual Youth and Families work party was a huge success thanks to a bunch of Boy Scouts, several dedicated community members, and a group from the YMCA BOLD/GOLD Mountain School who worked on a new trail system under construction on Taylor Mountain in the Issaquah Alps.
NPLD 2014 youth and families work party
The crew on Taylor Mountain for National Public Lands Day!

Mailbox Peak grand opening

We also joined our friends at the Mountains to Sound Greenway and DNR for the official opening of the new Mailbox Peak Trail. Trip reporters are already raving about the safer, more sustainable route up this legendary mountain.

Trip reporter string cheeze had this to say: "Great job constructing the new trail. It's more interesting than the old route and it's still 4000 vertical feet. I'm an older guy an end up doing Mailbox two or three times a year, but my knees take almost a week to recover. Yesterday was long but as they say "No pain no pain". Knees felt great. Lots of younger first timers and kids on the trail. The more people who get the hiking bug the better. The more hikers the more support for good trails and good land use. You're not going to get solitude in North Bend anyway so the more the better."

Mailbox Peak ribbon cutting
The opening of the new Mailbox Peak trail on National Public Lands Day. Photo by Big Barefoot B.

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