Profiles, Interviews & Perspectives
How to Dress Your Baby for Hiking All Year Long
How to choose the right clothes to keep your baby — and you — happy on the trail.
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Time for Self
In a period of turmoil, time outdoors was both respite and reawakening | by shon't savage
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Where Are They Now: Jessie Thoreson Has Spent Every Summer Outdoors
Mar 11, 2019
Youth program alum and volunteer Jessie Thoreson been working outside since the summer she spent interning with WTA. She told us how interning with WTA helped her choose her major, and what she's been up to since then.
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Stories of Strong Women Who Love the Outdoors
Mar 07, 2019
In honor of International Day of the Woman, get to know Tessa Hulls, who is sharing the lost historical stories of women going solo in the outdoors. Plus, meet some of the strong women of the WTA and hiking community.
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Q&A with Touray Kungkagam: Making Time and Finding Awe in Nature
Feb 26, 2019
Touray Kungkagam has been finding adventure outside for years. He shares those adventures in his trip reports, and they range from wintry ascents requiring technical skill, to weight training with a toddler, to family-friendly strolls in the mountains.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Dana Pounds
Jan 14, 2019
WTA trail work volunteer Dana Pounds is the definition of can-do. A 20-year battle with a rare form of cancer hasn't dimmed her positivity and optimism, and losing her leg hasn't kept her off trail. She joined WTA on her first work party earlier this month.
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What It Takes to Research and Write 500 Hikes for WTA
Dec 14, 2018
WTA's hiking guide content manager, Anna Roth, just finished writing her 500th hike. She reflects on highs, lows and what she's learned.
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Wrap Up: A Working Mom's Year of Backpacking Once a Month
Dec 03, 2018
In January, Washington Trails editor Jessi Loerch set a goal to go backpacking once a month. She reflects on the year's adventures, and what she learned.
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Washington State Trails Conference: Learning More About How Our Trail System Works
Nov 13, 2018
The 2018 Washington Trails Conference was full of learning opportunities and fascinating information about what goes into the trails we enjoy.
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Where Are They Now: Arlen Bogaards
Oct 31, 2018
Arlen Bogaards is our Northwest Regional Manager, but he started his career at WTA as a volunteer.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Kim, Norah and Adam
Sep 10, 2018
Get to know three of our newest hard hat recipients.
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22 Years of Trail Work with WTA
Sep 06, 2018
From volunteer to WTA field manager, Alan Carter Mortimer has dedicated 22 years of work to Washington's trails.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Clare Paden
Aug 01, 2018
How wrestling with one stubborn stump led one volunteer to taking a leadership role in trail work parties around the state.
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Being a New Mom Was Hard. Hiking Helped.
Jul 24, 2018
Shanti Hodges is the creator of Hike It Baby, and the author of a new book featuring hikes you can enjoy with your whole family.
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Where Are They Now? Seasonal Crew Leader Jacob Mandell
Jul 16, 2018
Jacob Mandell worked at WTA for two years and his enthusiasm, gentle leadership and big smile were big motivators for the many volunteers he worked with. He's since taken his expertise to Colorado, where he's on a trail maintenance crew in the Routt National Forest.
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GirlTrek: Walking as a Radical Act of Self-Care
Jun 28, 2018
GirlTrek started as a hiking club. It quickly grew into a movement to reverse the systemic health crisis experienced by black women and transform the health and well-being of entire communities.
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Father's Day: Outdoor Lessons From our Dads, Uncles and Grandfathers
Jun 14, 2018
This week, we asked Washington Trails Association staff if they had learned anything about the outdoors or nature from their fathers, uncles or grandpas.
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Where Are They Now? Seasonal Crew Leader Lauren Glass
May 29, 2018
Lauren Glass joined WTA two years ago with an impressive resume from working with youth. After two years crew leading with us, she headed to Colorado to manage the youth program at Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. We caught up with her to see how it's going.
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Where Are They Now? Seasonal Crew Leader Margaret Ullman-Hess
May 24, 2018
Now working for Mountains to Sound Greenway, Margaret Ullman-Hess got her first taste of trail work as a seasonal crew leader with WTA. We asked her what hooked her, and how she took what she learned at WTA into her professional career.
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"It's Okay to Get Dirty" — Outdoor Wisdom from Our Mothers, Aunties and Grandmothers
May 11, 2018
Wielding axes, courage, common sense and adventurous spirits, the women who raised WTA staffers are part of why we are so committed to trails.
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Progress Report: Backpacking All Year
Apr 05, 2018
Washington Trails editor and mom Jessi Loerch set a goal for herself to backpack once a month this year. She's on track, and finding the sweet spot between spending alone time in the wilderness and sharing nature with some close friends.
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The Three Cs: Raising a Child Who Loves Nature
Apr 04, 2018
Krista Dooley, parent and the youth and volunteer programs director at WTA, on how a simple walk in the woods with her young daughter builds curiosity, courage and confidence.
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Two WTA Volunteers Recognized by Friends of Olympic National Park
Mar 23, 2018
WTA crew leader Rebecca Wanagel and Washington Trails contributor Kelsie Donleycott have been recognized as super-volunteers this year. Read why.
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Landscapes of Love: Stitching Our Stories into Wild Places
Feb 14, 2018
When we make our memories on trails and in wild places, they take on a kind of permanence and heft, long after we’ve packed up our tents and gone.
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Go Camping with your Family this Winter
Feb 02, 2018
Winter and early spring are a great time to go camping with your family. Here's why, and some tips on how to do it.
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How 3 Unique Volunteers Help Fuel WTA
Jan 22, 2018
Meet three volunteers who are helping out across the organization, and learn how they're making a difference for Washington's trails.
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Meet the Trail Community: Wildland Firefighter
Dec 18, 2017
As a helitack manager, Chris O'Brien spends much of his time managing fire and looking at trails from the air. But when he can, he heads out to volunteer, or simply take a short walk on trails near his winter home in Olympia.
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Meet the Trail Community: Mountain Biker
Dec 01, 2017
Mountain biker Melissa MacKelvie wants everyone to find their connection to nature. It's empowering, and builds the community of people who care deeply about trails.
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Enjoy Nature Anywhere: Find Feelings of Wilderness Close to Town
Oct 16, 2017
It can feel like a challenge to connect with nature and capture the sense of solituide close to town—but it’s not impossible. A few tips to find that wild feeling.
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Meet the Trail Community: First Generation Hiker
Sep 21, 2017
Meet a woman who is the first in her family to go hiking, and learn what inspired her to start.
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