20 Years of Hikes, Community and Fun: Hike-a-Thon Participants Share Special Moments

WTA’s annual fundraiser, Hike-a-Thon, is back this August. Hike-a-Thon is a community fundraising event that gives hikers the opportunity to raise funds for Washington Trails Association. Throughout August, Hike-a-Thon participants hike, share stories of their outdoor adventures and raise funds that directly support trails in Washington.

This year is particularly exciting — it’s the 20th anniversary of Hike-a-Thon! To celebrate the milestone anniversary, we asked Hike-a-Thoners on what makes Hike-a-Thon special for them. If you'd like to join in the fun this year, Hike-a-Thon registration is now open. 

Sharing Stories

Gillian summiting Mount St. Helens. Photo by Gillian Callison. 

Gillian has been participating in Hike-a-Thon since 2016 with her team, FootSpeedAhead. Each year, Gillian creates a theme for her team’s Hike-a-Thon experience. “It gives me some kind of focus and allows me to share a story about hiking through the theme to my friends, followers and donors. This allows me to include those who don’t hike themselves, but enjoy following what I do.” 

Zip lining

Dave and Nicholas, the duo behind Team Shark. Photo by Dave Monjay.

Dave and Nicholas are the grandparent and grandchild duo behind Team Shark, formed in 2020. Hike-a-Thon is a great way for the pair to connect for a great cause. When asked about their advice for doing Hike-a-Thon, Nicholas sagely said, “You have to have lots of energy.” They're looking forward to hiking Lincoln Park this year — namely because of the zip line.

thru-hiking

David out on trail on a sunny day. Photo by David Baxter.

While thru-hiking the PCT in 2012, David participated in Hike-a-Thon and wore the shirt for the whole month of August. He said a lot of people recognized the Hike-a-Thon shirt, even in Oregon. "It's fun to be able to raise money for trails while out there in the wilderness," David said. He has some exciting plans for Hike-a-Thon this year — he is going on an extended backing trip through the Wind River Range in Wyoming!

Giving Back to Trails

Karen participates in Hike-a-Thon because she can do the things she loves while also helping out WTA. While Karen loves volunteering on trail maintenance crews herself, she says Hike-a-Thon is "a great way to give back if you aren't able to give time to work on trails." She also said it gets her motivated to get out more than she normally does and push herself to do more.

Acts of Kindness

Miles the Marmot out on a hike with Mary Ann's family. Photo by Mary Ann Villar.

Mary Ann participated in her first Hike-a-Thon last year with her family. One of her favorite memories took place before Hike-a-Thon officially started. While registering her family and setting their fundraising goal, Mary Ann uploaded a picture of one of their family chickens, Leia, to be their profile photo. Not long after, they received an anonymous donation with the message, “Cluck, cluck.” Mary Ann’s family was so surprised and touched that they had an anonymous donor and felt encouraged to reach all of their Hike-a-Thon goals. “That one act of kindness stayed with us throughout the monthlong journey,” Mary Ann said. 

Hiking Daily

Rheanna out on trail in a 2018 Hike-a-Thon shirt. Photo by Rheanna Summers. 

Rheanna has been Hike-a-Thoning since 2016. She enjoys giving back to the hiking community by raising money to help improve and maintain Washington's trails. During Hike-a-Thon 2018, she set a personal challenge to hike all 31 days while also working full time. Rheanna said it was a great way to explore shorter trails that she would have overlooked otherwise in favor of longer trails.

Building Community

Mai Ling at Peyto Lake in Alberta, Canada. Photo by Mai Ling Slaughter.

Mai Ling first joined Hike-a-Thon in 2019 and has been doing it ever since. She likes being part of the Hike-a-Thon community because of her fellow members. “These are members who are giving back to make sure trails exist for everyone, and for years to come. It’s a commitment not only to paying it forward, but also to making our amazing trail system more valuable by using it wisely and sharing its beauty with the world.”

Hiking with Friends

Zander and friends out on trail at Mount Rainier. Photo by Zander Chase.

Zander shared a great memory from his first Hike-a-Thon last year in 2022. Three of his college friends flew in from out of town to join him on his hike on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier. “It was a special time spent with them in nature and an incredible opportunity to experience the beauty of the trails around Washington.”

Celebrating and supporting each other

Lu on a hike. Photo by Lu Martin.

Lu has been participating in Hike-a-Thon since 2018. She loves being part of the Hike-a-Thon community because of how supportive everyone is of each other. Lu shared that she was a bit nervous attending her first Hike-a-Thon awards ceremony, but felt welcomed with open arms by the other attendees. “The entire community really just wants to see everyone succeed and reach their goals,” Lu said.

Trail Awareness and Huckleberries

Scott and Deeann on trail during Hike-a-Thon in the Mount Margaret backcountry. Photo by Scott Means.

Scott and Deeann aren’t exactly sure how long they’ve been doing Hike-a-Thon, but they started before there were T-shirts. They loved to participate in Hike-a-Thon because it encourages hikers to learn more about WTA and the resources and advocacy it takes to maintain trails. One of their favorite memories was discovering the best crop of huckleberries on trail. Scott said, “the pie we made later was fantastic!”

Exploring new Places

Image: Kelci enjoying time on trail. Photo by Kelci Mumford.

Kelci has gone on a lot of adventures since starting Hike-a-Thon in 2020. She summited Mount Saint Helens, hiked Hoh River Trail in the Olympic National Park and hiked the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier. Kelci is looking forward to visiting Mount Baker for the first time this August during Hike-a-Thon!

Friendly Competition

Cori and Jaiden enjoying a hike. Photo by Corinne Lauerman.

Cori is familiar with a little competition when it comes to Hike-a-Thon. Her biggest rival? Her daughter, Jaiden. In 2020, Cori took Jaiden on her first backpacking trip when she was 5. That’s when Jaiden decided to participate in Hike-a-Thon and “crush [Cori] in money raised.” And in the following year, Jaiden won the category for raising the most money for Hike-a-Thon as a new participant! Jaiden’s participated ever since, alongside her mom.

Being the Spokesmarmot

Miles the Marmot posing in his 2023 Hike-a-Thon shirt.

Miles has been the proud spokesmarmot for Hike-a-Thon since 2015. He said, “Squeak squeak squeak squeak,” which roughly translates to: “I’m always honored to be the spokesmarmot, but I'm really excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary with everyone in the community!” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Everyone’s Hike-a-Thon experience is unique — but the one thing everyone has in common is coming together to champion trails with the community. We can’t wait to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hike-a-Thon with you in August. Please join us — registration is open now!. See you out on trail.