Signpost Blog
"This little newsletter has been an experiment so far, testing a hunch I've had that such a means of communication among walkers is needed." — Signpost magazine, 1966.
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Veteran's Day Fee-Free Weekend Adventures
Nov 08, 2013
State and national parks are waiving entrance fees and pass requirements all weekend for Veteran's Day. From hikes through military history to camping in cabin ideas, here are some ideas for your outdoor adventures.
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Controversy to Collaboration: Cape Horn Trail Success Story
Nov 06, 2013
The Cape Horn Trail is one of the Columbia Gorge's newest trails and is quickly becoming one of its most beloved. Only minutes from Vancouver and with year-round views of the Columbia River Gorge, the Cape Horn Trail is an wild treasure for southern Washington. Its beginnings as an official trail were fraught with controversy and uncertainty.
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Jonathan Guzzo: A Dozen Years of Advocacy
Nov 04, 2013
After twelve years as advocacy director, WTA bids a fond farewll to Jonathan Guzzo. As he takes the next step in his career, he leaves hikers in a much better position than when he arrived in 2001. From trail funding to coalition-building around trails, Jonathan has delivered time and again for hikers.
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Season in Flux: One Weekend in Photos
Nov 04, 2013
Washington has entered a transition season, one where winter has come to the high country while fall still reigns supreme lower down. Sun, snow, sleet, wind, rain—you captured it all. Check out the trip reports, and get some tips on hiking safely during a shift in seasons.
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Three Last-Minute Costume Hacks for Hikers
Oct 31, 2013
If you are still scrambling for a Halloween costume, we put together a few last-minute costume ideas from the gear you probably already have. Find out how to transform into a trailhead, a cocooned butterfly, Cheryl Strayed, or the dudes who mapped Everest and the Grand Canyon for Google.
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Help Build a New Issaquah Trail System at Park Pointe
Oct 25, 2013
Join WTA to develop a trails system for the City of Issaquah on the Park Pointe property, located between the Issaquah High School and Tiger Mountain.
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Straight to their Source: Where Washington Waters Flow
Oct 24, 2013
Worth checking out: a new interactive mapping service from the USGS that lets hikers trace the flow of major rivers and streams to their source.
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Six Fall Hikes, One Weekend in Photos
Oct 21, 2013
A case of the Mondays? Not a chance, with so many incredible trip reports flowing in from a gorgeous weekend of hiking. Cozy up with a cup of coffee and trip reports from some awesome fall hikes.
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Hikers Rejoice! Funding Returns to Parks, Federal Lands
Oct 17, 2013
With the federal government shutdown officially over, we rounded up some key information to help you get out hiking Washington's federal lands in all their autumn glory.
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Teens Improve Trails Renamed for Jim Whittaker, Nawang Gombu
Oct 15, 2013
King County recently renamed two trails on Cougar Mountain in honor of Jim Whittaker and the late Nawang Gombu. Together, the newly named trails form a 3.2-mile loop. The very next day, WTA youth volunteer crews were working to improve the trails for hikers in years to come.
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Two Crazy Kids in Love Take a Hike, Get Married
Oct 14, 2013
Two hikers get hitched at a trailhead and spend the first few hours of their married life hiking to the lookout at Mount Pilchuck.
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Slideshow: Fungus Among Us
Oct 10, 2013
We've combed your trip reports and found a spectacular diversity of mushrooms you've spotted on trail. Get inspired to go outside and look ... down.
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Q&A: The Shutdown and Hikers
Oct 09, 2013
Questions and answers to common questions about the impact the federal government shutdown is having on hikers in Washington state.
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It's a Party! Celebrating WTA Volunteers
Oct 09, 2013
We couldn't do the trail maintenance that we're so well known for without volunteers like you! So we'd like to thank you in the sincerest way we know how -- with food! See when we're having a Volunteer Appreciation event near you.
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Photo Tips: Capturing a Trailscape
Oct 03, 2013
Last year, WTA introduced a brand-new category, Trailscapes, into our annual Northwest Exposure Photo Contest. Learn how to shoot a great trailscape and then enter the contest by Oct. 20.
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Gear Review: Ruffwear Swamp Cooler Vest
Oct 03, 2013
Dogs' biology makes them more susceptible to overheating and dehydration than human hikers, so even though things are cooling down across Washington, 70 degree weather with no shade can be plenty hot enough to put some dogs in the danger zone. John Soltys and his dog Treen put the Ruffwear Swamp Cooler Cooling Vest to the test, to see how it performed cooling hot dogs on the trail.
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Cooperative Effort Secures 50K Acres of Teanaway Land
Oct 02, 2013
Hikers and other recreational trail users have something big to celebrate today, the purchase of 50,272 acres in the Teanaway region by Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
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Federal Shutdown: What it Means for Hikers, Campers, Volunteers
Oct 01, 2013
Due to an impasse in Congress, the federal government shut down at midnight last night. Aside from the many impacts to federal employees and programs, the shutdown also impacts hikers, campers and trail volunteers.
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Trail Talk: How to Volunteer with the USFS
Sep 30, 2013
Hike anywhere in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and you’re bound to eventually run into friendly folks in U.S. Forest Service uniforms. We wanted to learn more about how to get that coveted job, where your commute is on a trail and your office is the wilderness, so we talked to Marta Sheridan, coordinator of the North Bend Volunteer Ranger Program, to learn more about getting involved with the program.
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Keeping Watch: A Weekend in Granite Mountain Lookout
Sep 30, 2013
What it's like to man one of Washington's fire lookouts for a weekend through the U.S. Forest Service's Volunteer Ranger Program.
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Video Tour: Olympic National Park Wild Soundscape
Sep 27, 2013
This week, the National Park Service released another latest in a series of videos celebrating wilderness, this time in Olympic National Park wilderness. Take a virtual walk through one of our state's most diverse land- and soundscapes.
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