Alyssa Kreider
The "Always Effervescent" Alyssa Kreider is the Volunteer Coordinator for Washington Trails Association (WTA) Trail Maintenance Program. Alyssa keeps track of the more than 1,750 volunteers who help out on trail each year. This covers everything from answering phone calls (What should I wear? Can I bring a chainsaw?) and scheduling special group work parties to compiling reports for land managers.

In her five years at WTA, she has spent nearly 200 days in the field working alongside these volunteers. Her favorite time of year at WTA is the spring and summer months when the projects are numerous and the volunteers abound.

Her footwear of choice for trail work is Wesco boots and her tool of choice on trail is a scraper (a shovel with sharpened edges).

Lauren Braden

Given her passion for hiking trails, Lauren Braden jumped at the chance to join the staff at Washington Trails Association (WTA) as the Communications and Outreach Director in 2003. WTA protects hiking trails and wild lands, takes volunteers out to maintain trails, and promotes hiking as a healthy and fun way to explore the outdoors. Lauren coordinates WTA’s media relations, messaging, outreach, and publicity. She also serves on the Seattle Women’s Commission and the Board of Seattle Audubon.

In 2000, Lauren completed her first long-distance hike, a week-long 60-mile trek on a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail in north central Washington, and she’s been avidly hiking ever since. Lauren has covered hundreds of miles on the state’s trails since, from the Trapper Creek Wilderness near the Columbia Gorge up to North Cascades National Park.

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