Washington Trails Association preserves connection in Clark County wild spaces

Once settled at the base of Ed’s Trail, crew leader James Alexander collected volunteers to review the basics: trail work details, how to avoid poking out eyes with pointy tools — and when they would get a break. But he delivered one last resounding message before the crew embarked on their endeavor.

“You all will have fun,” Alexander chuckled. “If you don’t, I will make you have fun.”

This lighthearted threat rang hollow among the five volunteers as they grabbed equipment from Alexander’s tool truck. It takes a certain type of person to devote their free time to preserving trails — they didn’t need convincing.

Heather Evans, a veterinarian and part-time Silver Star Search and Rescue volunteer, and Katie Rinker, a Ridgefield schoolteacher, both wanted to contribute to the local trails they visit. Steve Jones, president of the Chinook Trail Association, joined to see Silver Star Mountain’s segments of the Chinook Trail, a proposed 300-mile loop weaving through the Columbia River Gorge.

For Donevan Dexheimer, a retired police officer, working on trails provides him with a sense of accomplishment. Long-time volunteer and avid outdoor enthusiast Jim Clute said joining work parties is one way he gives back to the environment.

Everyone came with a different story, outdoor experience and skill set. At the heart of their separate narratives was a powerful admiration of and desire to connect to the region’s landscape. It’s something they said led them to volunteer with the Washington Trails Association, whether it was years ago or within the past month.

“We see a future in our trails,” Jones said. “When you have that hope, you don’t get bogged down by negative impacts of things caused by climate change.”

Over two days, the small crew brushed roughly 2,000 feet of Ed’s Trail, deepened backslopes along 260 feet of trail to prevent the path from eroding and removed a fallen tree near the Silver Star Trail and Bluff Mountain Trail junction.

It may not sound like much, but a little goes a long way, Alexander said.

Work (always) in progress

Hikers describe Ed’s Trail as the slightly more difficult route up Silver Star Mountain, a 4,382-foot summit that emerges from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The trail was named after Ed Robertson, a co-founder of the Chinook Trails Association, the group that completed Ed’s Trail in 1996.

The trek, 5.7 miles round-trip, gains about 1,460 feet elevation with some required scrambling between strides. It begins in meadows that, at peak blooming season, can host upwards of 100 wildflower species.

Silver Star Mountain has five ridges that connect at its peak — comparable to a star formation — and provides spectacular views, including Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson. It sits between the Yacolt Burn State Forest to the west and Gifford Pinchot National Forest to the east.

Scenic views are inescapable along the path.

Even when Southern Cascade peaks hid behind creamy white clouds, masses of red Indian paintbrushes — or prairie-fire — stretched across its hillside. Lichen splotched jagged rocks with rusty shapes, thick and fuzzy black bumps and neon green specks. Traces of the mountain’s invisible residents, such as the elusive mountain beaver, stoked a sense of curiosity in the volunteers, some of whom never stopped searching for the rodent’s tail disappearing into the earth.

The mountain’s popularity leads to constant wear. Hikers speed trail erosion by walking through vegetation, which weakens soil and its bind to bedrock. Melted snow and rain flow differently through the loosened terrain, wearing away the path with new channels and etching new scars into its face. If left unattended, trails can become unsafe, or even impassable.

Dexheimer, Rinker and Evans leapfrogged their way up Ed’s Trail, thumping grub hoes into slopes to widen the trails, each swing spraying dirt across their face. Meanwhile, Clute, Jones and Alexander ambled ahead with loppers and hedge cutters to clear shrubs and hanging tree limbs along the trail.

The crew rhythmically chopped, dug and strode for hours in the humidity, taking breaks to eat from a communal bag of chocolates and gummy bears. Behind the volunteers’ backs, rows of mountains stretched to the horizon, a backdrop that demanded attention and often distracted them from their tasks.

In addition to Silver Star Mountain, Washington Trail Association’s scope in Southwest Washington includes popular trails along the Columbia River Gorge to Mount St. Helens’ more secluded areas. Some of its popular volunteer destinations include Lyle Cherry Orchard, Tatoosh Ridge and Grassy Knoll.

Stewardship

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Washington Trail Association. Some fill leadership positions similar to Alexander, a full-time employee. In 2022 alone, volunteer trail crews invested more than 150,000 hours into the state’s hiking trails.

Washington Trail Association took root as a grassroots magazine in 1966 and chronicled hikers’ adventures in the Washington’s wildlands, something the group continues to do through its printed publication and Trailblazer app. Decades later, Washington Trails Association launched its volunteer trail repair program.

Opportunities range from daylong work parties, multiple day front-country and backcountry trips and weeklong volunteer vacations. Projects — both rugged and arduous, mellow and leisurely — unfold across the Cascades, Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound and Eastern Washington.

Preserving trails is central to the Washington Trails Association’s goal to connect people to nature, regardless of their ability, skill or background, according to the organization. It’s a part of the Recreate Responsibly Coalition, a group that formed in 2020 to campaign for inclusivity outdoors and intentional stewardship on public lands.

Most recently, the Washington Trails Association released a statement opposing the National Park Service’s proposal to require reservations and permitting for Mount Rainier National Park. The association contends that this move exacerbates existing inequities, as it would make accessing the park harder for those who don’t have a regular work schedule, can’t speak English or access technology.

Washington Trail Association’s mission and culture hooked Alexander when he began volunteering in 2020. Connecting to the outdoors through stewardship provided him with a sense of community after retiring from a 25-year career in the U.S. Army, something Alexander encourages other veterans to attempt. He also extends this focus to marginalized groups whose access to nature may be limited.

Every person deserves a chance to be immersed in the land to learn more about themselves and their place within it, he said.

“Let’s have a good time everyone,” Alexander told his crew on their first workday. “Happy trails.”