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ericrjensen Member
Joined: 12 Oct 2008 Posts: 58 | TRs | Pics
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When I signed up in the January for a WTA volunteer vacation I didn’t really know what to expect. I had been donating for a couple of years and had meant to get out on a work party several times, but I had never taken that jump to get involved. When Quark brought it to my attention that the sign-ups for the week-long volunteer vacations were coming up I knew that would be a great opportunity to dive right in, and when I saw that a work party was going to be planted in the Park Butte area I knew I could resist no longer. Seven and a half months after signups, still without having made it out for a single work party, my brother dropped me at the Lynnwood P&R where I met Dave and Bob who I would carpool up with.
The first day we focused primarily on reaching the camp that we would call home for the next week at the Mazama Shelter, located about ¾ mi and a handful of switchbacks down from the pass the trail splits to the lookout. The first few couple of days were strange as I was thrown in to a whirlwind of inside jokes between old friends and newcomers, like me, were on the outside. It wasn’t long, though, before their jokes had become jokes to me as well, the group was infectious in that way.
After reaching camp and setting up tents we settled down to a meal of steaks and portabellos, salad and something else definitely delicious and possibly nutritious that escapes me right now. In any event it was a welcome change from a typical backcountry diet of cous cous, dried produce and some sort of cheese. The weather was phenomenal, too warm for some people’s tastes, but being the second week of September it was hard to complain. We all relaxed and enjoyed seeing the last light on Baker as the sun settled behind the Sisters until the next morning, our first morning of work.
Now when I say work, I would hardly call it work. To me the work that we did felt less like and more like play, similar to the effect of physically exerting yourself hiking to a pristine alpine environment. For the first three days we were in the forest on a section of trail between the Mazama Camp and Bell Pass. There were sections flagged along the way and we stayed busy focusing on those sections in the time we spent on that segment of trail. Most of the work was clearing out ditches and cleaning culverts. As unappealing as that may sound, when you are out there with a group of people who is as passionate about trailwork, and about the people they are working with it ceases to feel like work very quickly. I could now see how this close bond between the folks in the group was formed; by working hard together, sweating together, and things done together there is a respect that comes naturally, and that coupled with having so much fun together makes for close friendships.
What really impressed me and really meant a lot to me was how patient and interested some of the more experienced members of the group were in teaching me about some of the techniques of trail building and the philosophy behind them. At times I felt like they could have accomplished more if they had given me a less important job and the more experienced folks focused on the more crucial jobs. They simply wouldn’t do that. Everyone was very persistent and genuine in trying to help and teach me in every way they could, and I am very thankful for it.
Wednesday was our day off so I chose to take some solo time by heading up to the lookout Tuesday night and then getting off to an early start to explore the area on Wednesday. I spent Wednesday hanging around the tarns on Park Butte in the morning, then took a walk up railroad grade, and across the meadow to the west to get a look at the awe-inspiring Deming Glacier.
Thursday and Friday we worked on the section of trail between the Park Butte junction and Mazama Camp. Thursday was my birthday and Greg did be the distinct honor of gifting me a massive rock which would serve as part of the foundation of a rockwall we would build in an effort to widen a section of trail. I spent, more-or-less, the entire day unearthing that substantial boulder and eventually we were able to excavate a site to place it. Thursday evening after dinner the group disappeared in to the shelter, I was completely oblivious. When they returned they were all carrying glow sticks and presented me with a Moon Pie adorned with candles and a glow stick in the middle. It was much more than I expected and it was very thoughtful. Certainly this birthday will be as memorable as most any that I’ve had. In fact, I think I might spend every birthday with WTA!
On Friday we finished up the rock wall and rested up, as we were all pretty beat. The sun set behind looming clouds and rain rolled in Saturday evening, it was a real soaker before long and most of us were packing out some wet gear. As with everything throughout the week we did it together, and as the rain let up we enjoyed the walk down the trail and back to the cars where we would leave our mountain paradise for a more complicated civilized life.
Needless to say I will be signing up for WTA functions again in the near future. It’s amazing how much real work can be accomplished when you are having so much fun doing it. I know that I can come back in five years and look at that rock wall we built and know that I was a part of maintaining that trail.
When I signed up for a volunteer vacation, I wasn’t sure how much of a vacation it would be, but it didn’t disappoint. I imagine all work parties are much more party than I would have expected as well!
WTA - Park Butte 2009 006.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 011.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 014.jpg 1 label WTA - Park Butte 2009 018.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 027.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 228.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 231.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 232.jpg Rockwallstitch.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 119.jpg Baker cirquecloud stitch.jpg Baker Sunrise Stitch.jpg Deming Stitch.jpg Sisterssunrisestitch.jpg BakerTarnStitch.jpg PB-Sisters-Nooksack Stitch.jpg WTA - Park Butte 2009 029.jpg
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Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 11:16 am
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Nice pictures and a great report on the fun had in building trail. I'm so silly I had to look at a map to find the 'sisters'. (Twin Sisters Range, even though there are more than two peaks.)
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BeyondLost Crazy Bob
Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 3601 | TRs | Pics Location: Whidbey Island, WA |
Nice report and pics!
I second your feeling of how much fun can be had on a WTA trail work party. I spent 7 days (weekends spread over July to Sept) helping build a log bridge over Early Winters Creek at the far end of the loop trail from Lone Fir campground. Yes, they spent a lot of time teaching and I plan to volunteer again at which point I'll be a lot better help.
The crew boss for WTA and the FS boss were great to work with and I met a lot of great volunteers.
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bertman Member
Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 362 | TRs | Pics
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bertman
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 6:53 pm
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Way to go! And that rock wall looks awesome! Thanks for all your hard work.
I just did my fifth volunteer day today. I think next year I might sign up for a longer duration one.
Bertman
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lookout bob WTA proponent.....
Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 3043 | TRs | Pics Location: wta work while in between lookouts |
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lookout bob
WTA proponent.....
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Sun Sep 27, 2009 11:19 am
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Eric...indeed a pleasure to work with you....so glad you had a good experience. I hope you'll be back for more. WTA weeklongs are a blast and I'm so sorry I had to leave....but it was a good thing. The rock wall looks awesome. Now the inside jokes will be what you're doing too. Hope to hook up with you soon again....alohas...b
"Altitude is its own reward"
John Jerome ( from "On Mountains")
"Altitude is its own reward"
John Jerome ( from "On Mountains")
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Grizzy Yellow Cedar Hugger
Joined: 16 Jul 2006 Posts: 1936 | TRs | Pics Location: Switchbacks |
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Grizzy
Yellow Cedar Hugger
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Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:02 am
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All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other -
Only the mountain and I. ~Li Po~
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peltoms Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 1760 | TRs | Pics Location: Worcester MA |
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peltoms
Member
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Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:11 pm
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Your stitched photographs are so good you could be a surgeon, the reflection of Easton Glacier nice. You picked the right time of year post bugs and heat for trail work.
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