You've been to TrailsFest.

You've hiked the Ledges Trail. You've communed with the packgoats. You've climbed that rock wall and you're quite sure you've tried every kayak model there is.

Been there, done that.

Come on back for another TrailsFest! And you'll be so glad you did. Of course we've got all your favorite things to do, and we've also got lots of new activities, presenters and exhibitors at TrailsFest 2008.

Here's a sampling of what's new at TrailsFest this year:

•  Hiking in Cougar Country, an informative talk presented by REI Seattle. 10am at the Education Center.
• Native Plants of the Cascades, put on by Evergreen Escapes, 10am at the Hilleberg Outdoor Classroom.
• Common Birds of the Cascade Foothills, by Seattle Audubon. Bird walk leaves the Green Trails Maps Corral at noon.
  
• The Mystery of Saquatch, 1pm at the Education Center
• Hiking with Dogs, by guidebook authors Lisa Wogan and Craig Romano, 2pm at the Hilleberg Outdoor Classroom.
  
• Ask the Master Hiker, hosted by Washington Trails Association, all day at the Education Center.
  
• Live, Rescued Raptors, at the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center booth.
  
• Kid's DIY National Park Journal, at the National Parks Conservation Association booth.

 Plus, we'd like to extend a warm welcome to several new exhibitors at TrailsFest this year. Just a few of these new exhibitors you'll want to visit include Northwest Women Flyfishers, Women Climbers Northwest, Issaquah Alps Trails Club, Sierra Designs, Zamberlan Boots, and the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project.

We'll see you for another great TrailsFest this Saturday!

As you may have heard or noticed yourself, there's still quite a bit of snow in the mountains. But that doesn't mean there are no trails available for hiking. 

We've been having a ball reading the WTA trip reports from hikers the past week and seeing where people are finding snow-free trails, and where folks are encountering deep, hard-packed snow on trails usually snow-free by now. It's quite an unusual year in the backcountry!

One danger in these conditions is trying to find your way on trails under snow. It's easy to lose your way, so unless you're adept with off-trail travel with map & compass, it's usually a good idea to turn back at snow line.

Conditions vary across the state, but snow levels are high most everywhere, particularly west of the crest. Even places like Rachel Lake east of the crest still have tons of snow, and you'll find deep creek crossings and  postholing through snow-covered trails  (which can be extremely tiring).

Our latest reports from popular hikes such as Granite Mountain and Melakwa Lakes indicate that snow is still abundant. Better to try hikes that have melted out, such as Bandera off I-90, Mount Townsend (in the Olympics) or east to the Teanaway where places like Iron Peak and Navaho Pass are good right now. Esmerelda Basin, also in the Teanaway, still  has snow patches, but the lower stretches are melting quickly and wildflowers are emerging. River valleys such as Thunder Creek in the North Cascades and Ingalls Creek near Mount Stuart are good backpacking bets.

There's still a lot of snow in Mount Rainier National Park. One little-known trail which starts in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and then enters the northeast corner of the park is Huckleberry Creek. It's snow-free and goes through some amazing old growth. WTA trail crews have been working here recently.

Be careful out there. Popular hikes such as Mount Pilchuck and Mount Dickerman are still too snow-covered for anyone but experienced and well-equiped climbers. Whenever you head out, be sure to pack the ten essentials and some common sense. Oh, and don't forget the bug repellent--with all that snow melting , the mosquitoes are out in force. Still, there's some great early summer hiking out there. As always, call ahead to ranger stations and check WTA trip reports for current conditions. If you've just completed a hike, post a report--your fellow hikers will appreciate it. Enjoy!

In Washington's deep and gloomy woods (and also in its arid, rolling hills), you'll find an abundance of falling water, from subtle cascading streams to thundering falls that shake the stones to their foundations. In fact, our mountains--the Cascades--are named for the multitudes of falling waters you'll find here.

Each summer, Washington Trails Association offers a series of guided excursions into Washington's scenic wild lands. These are not ordinary guided hikes! On a Wildland Discovery Hike, we visit trails and wildlands that face some sort of threat, from lack of funding or neglect, to overuse, to illegal ORV use.  Hikers who join us on these excursions learn about the issues that affect our trail system, and what steps they can take to make a real difference.

With alpine lakes, summits, river valleys, and blooming wildflowers, the Wildland Discovery Hikes series offers something for every hiker interested in protecting our hiking trails.

Our series starts Saturday, June 28 with a guided hike on the Dosewallips River Road/Trail--Olympic National Forest and Park. (13 miles round trip, 1,700 feet elevation gain.) Join this hike. The Dosewallips Road washed out in 2002. Controversy surrounds plans to rebuild the road, as it previously provided dayhike access into the east side of the Olympic Mountains. The Forest Service is expected to release a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on their plans for the Dosewallips washout in May. We'll hike the road into the Park and discuss the issues surrounding this challenging issue. Far from being a barren road-hike, a walk up the Dosewallips is lovely, studded with old growth trees and laced with waterfalls and streams.

Click here for the full schedule of Wildland Discovery Hikes 2008.

This spring WTA volunteers are tackling trail improvements on trails within Larrabee State Park near Bellingham. The project got a head-start in April when a Volunteer Vacation crew, turned away by cold breezes and snow on Lake Chelan, moved to Larrabee State Park (slightly less cold and a lot less snowy), and worked for five days to improve a long-standing water problem on the Clayton Beach Trail.

Last weekend, nearly thirty WTA volunteers, who signed up for this open-to-the-public work party, worked up the Fragrance Lake Trail, improving drainage in wet areas and rebuilding the tread to make the trail safer and more appealing to walk on for the many families that frequent this trail.

WTA will host another weekend at Larrabee (locals and destination-travelers welcome!), scheduled for the first weekend of summer, June 21 and 22. You can sign up on-line for one or both of those days here: Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22.

And, a shout-out to Burlington-Edison North High School students, who recently joined WTA for a mid-week work party at Larrabee. These first-time trail workers repaired switchbacks heading up the Fragrance Lake Trail, planting ferns, removing roots and improving the tread. One student, who had never been hiking before the work party, went back two days later to complete the hike up to the lake and check on how the work was holding up. Mission accomplished!

For a full listing off all of our work parties, including the upcoming weekend at Larrabee State Park, see our Trail Schedule.

Heading out this weekend? There is extreme avalanche danger through Sunday, and backcountry travel near avalanche terrain should be avoided. Highway 20 (the North Cascades Highway) has been closed.

We expect hikers will be out enjoying the wonderful warm temperatures this weekend, but is critical that you pack an extra dose of caution in your backpacks. Very warm temperatures will lead to rapid melting of the record snowpack we have in the Cascades and Olympics. Low-to mid-elevation hikes with river and stream crossings could present serious hazards in a case like this. Streams and rivers will be swollen with snowmelt and running high. Crossings should be taken with extreme care.

Remember that it was in conditions such as this that two hikers tragically died last year while crossing a swollen creek at Mount Rainier National Park. If you have any concern about a stream crossing, turn around. And remember that streams can run higher even over the course of a few hours, so plan accordingly.

Avalanche info: http://www.nwac.us/
Contact local ranger stations for the latest conditions.

If you're looking for an excuse to start your summer outside, consider joining a National Trails Day event on June 7! This year WTA will team up with American Hiking Society to celebrate the 16th Annual National Trails Day. The AHS theme is "Join Us on the Trail", as an open invitation to connect Americans with their local hiking clubs, outdoor retailers, and local and federal land management agencies in order to experience everything the great outdoors has to offer.

WTA is hoping you will be one of those many Americans to join a Trail Maintenance work party on Saturday, June 7. And, not only is it National Trails Day, but it marks the first weekend of WTA's summer season, meaning we'll kick off our summer line-up of volunteer work parties up and down the Cascades and the Olympics that will continue throughout the summer.

Below is a list of where we'll be on June 7th, so please, Join us on the Trail!*

Join! Nat'l Trails Day on the Olympic Peninsula We'll continue our work on the South Fork of the Skokomish Trail. It is this trail's 101 birthday, but we hope a little maintenance will keep it looking even younger.
Join! Nat'l Trails Day at Silver Star Mount St Helens Nat'l Volcanic Monument. If you're looking for a place to spend your weekend, this is well worth the drive. We'll have several options of trails to work on in this area. Bring a tent and work both days!
Join! Nat'l Trails Day "Take-A-Hike" Trail Survey in the Mount Adams District. If you'd prefer to hike your favorite trail and collect important data on its' condition for the district, this is the event for you!
Join! Nat'l Trails Day at Horseshoe Bend in the Mount Baker District. A great early season trail for this district, we'll work on maintaining this short trail near Glacier.
Join! Nat'l Trails Day on the Boundary Trail at Mount Rainier Nat'l Park. The Park is still recovering from the 2006 storms, so WTA is back to help them keep up with maintenance and repairs. This trail in particular was not hit by the storm, but needs quite a bit of maintenance work to get it back to good condition.
Join! National Trails Day - Huckleberry Trail at Mount Rainier Nat'l Park. Mount Rainier is still recovering from the 2006 storms, so WTA is back to help them keep up with annual maintenance and repairs of trails.
Join! Nat'l Trails Day - Barclay Lake Trail in the Skykomish District. A great early season trail in the Skykomish district that generally needs some tread repair after winter slides and blowdown.
Join! Nat'l Trails Day in the North Bend Area We'll be continuing with the trail improvements to the very popular Franklin Falls and Wagon Road Trails.

*work party locations may change if snow is still lingering ...
Stay tuned for schedule changes and to see the full schedule at www.wta.org.

Teenagers from around Puget Sound are choosing to work on their summer vacations, for no pay, to help keep your hiking trails in great shape.

It's true! After all, it's on You Tube.

This new short video was directed by PBS documentary filmmaker Michael Peters, and it's a great summary of the rewards of trail work for young people. Watch it - it might just inspire you or a teenage you know to get out on a trail this summer and spend some quality time with a pulaski.

Washington Trails Association's Volunteer Vacations for Teens have grown to a new level of popularity in recent years; several of the trips to stunning backcountry locations like Mount Rainier and Heather Meadows are already filled. Many spots remain, however, including on trips to Cliff Tree Basin, Beacon Rock State Park and Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge.

On a week-long youth volunteer vacation, teens learn all about hiking trails, how they are built and engineered and maintained, so that hikers can enjoy them. Participants camp outside, help cook their own food, build teamwork skills, and learn a whole lot about themselves in the process. Also, participants earn community service hours, which many high schools require for graduation. I sincerely wish I'd have had an opportunity like this when I was a teenager - it's so much fun! Click here to learn more.

WTA's first Volunteer Vacation crew of the 2008 season has returned, smiling and successful, from the Hoh River Trail in Olympic National Park.  In just six days, our crew completed over 2000 feet of rerouted trail segments on the Hoh River Trail that was damaged in the December storms (whole stretches of the old trail spilled into the flood-swollen river.). They fixed 3 sections of trail from approximately 1.5 miles to 3 miles in.

Volunteers work to build trail reroutes for hikers along the Hoh River, which washed out hundreds of feet of the trail in December storms.

"We were really moving," said Volunteer Crew Leader Janice O'Connor of the huge amount of work the crew completed in just under a week. "It was remarkable to see the devastation that the river unleashed on this trail, and also to be able to open it back up to hikers." Olympic National Park sustained $4 million in damage to roads, trails and facilities in the December 2007 storm.

The crew had a splendid time, spending days wielding tools to build new trail tread, and evenings together in the Hoh River bunkhouse, which has bunkbeds, showers, a refrigerator, and a wood-burning stove. Outside the bunkhouse roamed elk and other wildlife. "The use of the bunkhouse was really appreciated by everyone," said O'Connor. 

If you are interested in joining a Volunteer Vacation, there are still spaces remaining on 12 of our Volunteer Vacation trips. Plus, we just added a fantastic Volunteer Vacation trip to Chiwakum Creek in June that has several spaces remaining.  Join on-line or call the office at 206.625.1367 for more information.

Don't have time to set aside an entire week?  Join us on a day trip!  In late April and May, WTA will host work parties to repair washouts on the Skookum Flats Trail, Lower Big Quilcene, Boulder River and Tiger Mountain. No experience is necessary -- we specialize in introducing new people to the joys of trail work.

Want to see the Hoh River Trail reroutes up close? Click here for info on hiking the Hoh River Trail.

If you put a bunch of hikers in a room, there are a few topics that are sure to seed lively conversation. User fees. The fate of the Carbon River Road. Drinking your dishwater. And, of course, dogs.

There's little doubt about it - the issue of dogs on trails is a divisive one. One the one side are dog owners who love to hike, and their dogs who love to hit the trails, too. In the wildlands, dogs and humans get to roam, to get in touch with a wild part of ourselves. On the other side are hikers who don't own dogs, who go to the woods to escape our busy everyday world. And for many of them, encountering a dog off-leash, or a dog splashing in a pristine alpine lake, diminishes the quality of that experience.

Last year I wrote about canine etiquette while hiking. If you're wanting more, the April issue of Washington Trails magazine has several features on hiking with dogs, touching on topics like etiquette, what gear to bring and where the best trails in Washington are for dogs, from easy trails to challenging hikes. There's a sidebar on how to be a "Good Human" when hiking with your dog, like how to not leave evidence of your dog's visit on the trail and the true meaning of "voice control." An article talks about special considerations for hiking with a dog that is advanced in age. And lastly, the issue includes a comprehensive of list of the rules for hiking with your dog in Washington - what land management agencies permit dogs on trails and which do not, and where dogs must be on a leash at all times.

Download a pdf of the articles here.