Hiker Headlines: Fires close Mount Ellinor-area trails, baby goats & thimbleberries, trail maintenance budget fallout

It’s July 17. The Bear Gulch Fire on the Olympic Peninsula has closed access to Mount Ellinor-area trails and campgrounds. New campfire restrictions. Federal budget and staffing cuts disrupt trail maintenance projects in Washington and beyond. Trip reporters are spotting mountain goats with kids in tow. Thimbleberries are ripening up. Someone also found a gold ring on Mailbox Peak, if you're missing one. 

Trip reporters are meeting and seeing more goats with kids in tow. Photo by trip reporter DebraLangOH. 

Bear Gulch Fire closes Mount Ellinor area trails: The response to the Bear Gulch Fire, which has been burning in the Lake Cushman area of the Olympic Peninsula, has closed Mount Ellinor trails and roads. The Staircase area, Bear Gulch day-use area, Mount Rose trailhead, Dry Creek trailhead and Copper Creek trailhead also remain closed. 

With high fire danger around the state, there are also new campfire restrictions coming into effect this weekend. Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest campgrounds will no longer allow campfires or open flames starting Friday.

To stay safe and keep up-to-date on fires burning in Washington, read up on how to hike during the wildfire season and check the wildfire layer on WTA’s Hike Finder Map and mobile app.

Federal budget cuts fallout for trail maintenance. High Country News reports on the ripple effect of the administration budget and staffing cuts on trail maintenance projects in Washington and across the west. 

The Forest Service authorizes projects and provides much of the funding, logistical support and institutional knowledge needed to complete them, while trail associations like the WTA contribute crucial labor and technical expertise. “We’re most concerned about our ability to support gaps on the federal landscape,” said Jen Gradisher, WTA’s trail programs director, in an email. “It’s safe to say that a lot of high-use trails in (our) districts are not seeing the level of support we would typically provide this year.” (Read the full article) 

Baby goats, thimbleberries and the one ring lost on Mount Doom Mailbox Peak.

• Know what to do if you meet a goat on trail? Trip reporters are spotting more mountain goats with kids in tow so it's a good idea to give them an even wider berth.
• Also in trip reports: Bugs still seem pretty gnarly out there, but the thimbleberries are ripening up. A longtime trip reporter B Sun also found a gold ring on Mailbox Peak, if you're missing one. 

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