A good idea and hard work

Sixty years ago, Louise Marshall wanted a way to get information out to fellow hikers. She was an avid hiker herself and regularly led hikes with The Mountaineers. But Louise was from the East Coast. As a relative newcomer, she didn’t have years of knowledge to draw upon — and there certainly was no internet to help her at the time. Other trip leaders had personal notebooks they’d collected over the years. Louise wanted a way to spread that information more broadly.

Louise on trail in her early days of exploring Washington's trail systems. A stark contrast to her experience growing up experience the outdoors on the East Coast.

“She would spend her Sunday evenings phoning around to everyone who led a hike over the weekend and getting what the trail conditions were on that trip,” her daughter Ann Marshall said. “She would write it up quickly and put it in the mail Monday. People would have it by Wednesday or Thursday.” Sunday evenings were busy in the Marshall household during those early days.

“There was a big flurry of activity, because nothing happened until that newsletter went in the mail. Dinner, schoolwork, feeding the dog. The newsletter came first.”

Louise’s newsletter got a good response and more people asked to be added to her mailing list.

The famous barn where Signpost was orginally produced and published in 1966.

“The Darrington ranger phoned and said, ‘Hey, someone said you have this newsletter. Would you put me on the list? And, oh, by the way, I’ll send you a couple of dollars for postage,’” Ann said.

That ranger was one of Louise’s earliest paid subscribers. The newsletter soon spread far beyond the original group of trip leaders to general hikers in the state.

Ann says that Louise was always a big picture thinker. From the beginning, she cared deeply about trails and community. But balancing a checkbook and other such skills were not her strong suit. In the early years, that was a continuing challenge and Louise sometimes paid Signpost’s bills out of her own checking account.

Over time, Signpost grew and Louise got more help. In 1977, Ann even joined the staff as an office assistant and, later, as Signpost editor. She also served on the board of directors.

Ann and Louise Marshall working together during the early days of Signpost, the publication that started Washington Trails Association. 

In 1985, after a few changes, Washington Trails Association became the official name, which has stuck ever since.

Over the years, WTA continued to grow. WTA’s first trail work party was in 1993. And advocacy was a regular part of the work.

“Louise loved to get people interested and active and speaking up,” Ann said. “She wanted people to be involved. You couldn’t just let others do it. She said, ‘You have to. You have to write that letter. You have to go to the meeting. You have to make that phone call to the ranger district or the national park office. And don’t be afraid to say you’re a hiker and you want to see these things, because that’s how the money gets allocated for trails, for maintenance, for campgrounds, for all the backcountry that we like.’ She really encouraged people to be active, to speak up.”


Ann Marshall, an incredible advocate and lover of trails and nature, continuing her mother's legacy.

Louise’s legacy is still going strong. WTA’s trail work program has grown to 150,000 hours of volunteer labor a year. And last year, more than 18,300 people advocated for trails with WTA’s help.

Ann says that, from the beginning, Louise knew it would work. Even when it was hard.

“It’s amazing,” Ann said. “Sixty years is a really long time for a little organization. It’s just amazing to look back and see where it came from and where it is now. Louise would be very proud because she knew this was going to happen.”

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