Service with WTA: 2-26-17

Mentors here at Wild Whatcom are connection lovers. And we're not talking about the internet, but rather the connection that happens in realtime, between humans interacting with themselves, one another, the community, and their physical environment. All these sorts of connections were evident during our service project last Sunday with the Washington Trails Association (WTA)!

The WTA builds and maintains trails over the entire state of Washington, and their volunteer trail maintenance program is among the largest in the nation. They log more than 105,000 volunteer hours statewide each year, and over 2500 volunteers giving back to the trails they love.

We started our day with an ice breaker so our two different groups - Trilliums and Bats - could intermingle.  We then gathered in council and met Kathy, Arlen and Ken, who offer many days out of their busy schedules to Walk Their Talk and work to create and improve trails all over western Washington. 

After learning about how to safely handle the multitude of tools provided, we grabbed shovels, Pulaskis, saws, clippers, and hoes, capped our eager heads with some fancy hard hats and made our way up and up the Fragrance Lake Trail.  

All along the way, the WTA volunteers acted as our teachers, guiding us in instruction and supporting our efforts with smiles and stories. These older, seasoned WTA volunteers are open-hearted, generous in their teachings, and made this day one of beautiful connection between young and old, tool and task, girl and group, and the empowerment of giving back to nature.

As our time together came to a close, we gave heartfelt acknowledgements to one another for our attitude and efforts. A truly wonderful and inspiring day!

Our Words of the Day? Ditches, Drains, Mud and Motivation! 

Check out the rest of the photo album here!