Backcountry trail maintenance a Herculean task requiring dedicated volunteers

In late July, a dedicated crew of trail angels hacked through downed logs in northeast Washington along the 22-mile Shedroof Divide Trail.

It is rugged country, made more rugged by downed trees blocking the trail, said Holly Weiler, the Washington Trail Association’s regional coordinator.

Every year mostly volunteer crews head to the region’s trails to clear downed trees and beat back advancing brush.

It’s a Herculean task, and Weiler said she’s always looking for more volunteers.

“Every year there is enough work that we just don’t quite finish it,” she said.

The trail work season isn’t over yet, although many trips have filled up. Still, Weiler said it’s always nice to have a waitlist in case folks drop out, particularly with heat and smoke making many rethink outdoor plans.

Here is a list of upcoming trail work trips hosted by Washington Trail Association. To sign up visit wta.org/volunteer/schedule.

•Mount Spokane Trail 183, Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Trail 183 is the newest trail on Mount Spokane.
• Volunteers will start digging tread and creating the actual trail.
• •North Fork Trail of Sullivan Creek, Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m. to Aug. 15, 3:30 p.m.

Volunteers will help maintain a section of the North Fork Trail on the edge of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness that former Washington Trail Association crews helped preserve

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• •Shedroof Divide, Aug. 26, 8:30 a.m. to Aug 29, 3:30 p.m.
• Volunteers will improve the Jackson Creek Trail, which provides access to the divide from the Idaho side of the range.
• •Clackamas Mountain, Sept. 9, 8:30 a.m. to Sept. 12, 3:30 p.m.
• Volunteers will help maintain a section of the Pacific Northwest Scenic Trail that ascends Sweat Creek toward the summit of Clackamas Mountain in the Kettle River range.