|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
AN UPDATE FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRAIL ASSOCIATION
|
|
A message from our Director
|
 | | Fall in the Pasayten Wilderness |
To all of our youth, volunteers and partners who worked on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail this summer a heartfelt thanks goes out from the Pacific Northwest Trail Association. As of September 30, 2014 more than 35,500 hours of work took place in the maintenance of the Trail.
Many of our partner groups, such as Washington Trails Association, Backcountry Horseman of Washington and Montana, Idaho Mule and Saddle Club, Evergreen Mountain Biking, Whatcom Mountain Biking Coalition, Montana Conservation Corps, mountain bikers from Grand Forks, BC, Skagit-Whatcom-Island Trail Maintenance Organization contributed to this effort. Our own SKY Programs worked on segments of the Trail on the Colville, Okanogan, Mount Baker/Snoqualmie, and Olympic National Forests, as well as Washington State DNR lands, while adult and youth volunteers contributed immensely across Washington and Montana.
To all of us who are involved with the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, this is a true labor of love and a lasting contribution for posterity.
Sincerely,
Jon Knechtel
Director of Trail Operations
|
| Work on the Trail - A Place for the View |
This past month, one of our Job Corps Crews had the opportunity to build a viewing platform for the Forest Service on an old lookout tower about 10 miles east of Forks on Highway 101. The viewing platform was the first step in recreating the old lookout, a project to be completed in the future. Due to great weather, and also a great crew, the platform was completed in just 4 days. The crew was made up of 4 students in the carpentry field and 1 in the masonry field. Along with enjoying great views and weather the crew was able to test their knowledge and skills in construction, and even their fear of heights having to be tied off for much of the project as the platform sat much higher then the ground below.
|
| Hike of the Month! - Ozette Triangle
Olympic National Park near Ozette, WA
|
Hiking the coast of the Olympic Wilderness is a bucket-list experience to savor solo or share with friends and family. Great as a loop hike (9 miles) with camping options, or as a short day hike to the beach (6 miles round trip), the Ozette Triangle's well-maintained boardwalk trails take you through shady forests and open meadows to the breaking waves of the Pacific Ocean. From the Ozette Ranger Station, trails split off to Sand Point (3 miles), which has great beachfront camping spots, or Cape Alava (3 miles), the westernmost point in the lower 48 and also the western end of the Pacific Northwest Trail. To make the triangle loop, walk the shoreline between Sand Point and Cape Alava and return to the Ranger Station on the other trail. The rocky beach can be a slow walk, so take advantage of this pace to explore tidepools and look out for seals, sea otters, and whales. If you are planning an overnight trip, get your permit at the Ozette Ranger Station near the trailhead. Be sure to bring your camera to catch pictures of the sunset! (Warning: standing at the end of the western end of the PNT can lead to dreams of hiking all 1,200 miles.)
|
|
|
If you have any events you would like to have included or if you want to put together a volunteer work party and would like to have that information included in the newsletter you can contact us at (360) 854--9415 or e-mail us at [email protected]
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
