Thanks to Washington’s National Park Fund’s efforts on raising money and organizing work crews, the Dodger Point fire lookout in Olympic National Park got some much-needed TLC / WNPF

The folks at Washington's National Park Fund love the idea of wild in Washington State. For over 100 years, Washingtonians have hiked, climbed and picnicked at Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades national parks. But trails aren’t wild; they’re created and maintained by people, especially when nature takes its toll.

Weather, even more than humans, is the biggest factor with landslides, harsh winters, flooding and avalanches ever present.

“Trails are critical; they’re our highways. They’re the way our people get to experience the grandeur, the waterfalls, the incredible peaks,” said Karen Taylor- Goodrich, North Cascades National Park’s superintendent.

Jim Ziolkowski, trails foreman at Mount Rainier, sees nature’s work each year.

“We have 288 miles of trails, and it is absolutely impossible to keep up with the maintenance we need to do,” he said. “Volunteers come in from area businesses, and we rely on them to get maintenance done. Here in western Washington, water and snow and snow melt are very rough on the trails.”

Last year, funds from Washington’s National Park Fund helped to repair the Long Ridge Trail—up 5,000 feet and 13 miles from the Elwha Valley—and restore Dodger Point, the last-standing fire lookout in Olympic National Park. The trail required extensive work—with 100 downed trees, a 22-foot bridge replacement, and a 260-foot trail re-route because of a massive landslide.

Backcountry maintenance in national parks is no easy task. To reach the Dodger Point fire lookout in Olympic National Park, crews had to hike 13 miles in from the Elwha Valley. And along the way there were the tasks of removing downed trees, replacing a bridge, and rerouting a trail. All in a summer’s work! / WNPF

“I spent 16 days at Dodger Point helping the crew on the Lookout,” said Chris Scranton, who helped with the trail work. “It is the 45th year in a row and my 51st hike to Dodger. The Long Ridge Trail is in the best shape I have seen in 45 years and it is a dream come true.”

Early each summer, park staff and seasonal crews head out for repairs with volunteers from Washington Trails Association, NW Conservation Corps, REI, Starbucks and others. They don’t know what they’ll find, but can be sure they will have plenty to do!

“It was the summer of 2016, and we did 22 miles on the Wonderland Trail. We couldn’t do the Northern Loop route as planned, because there were still 140+ trees that were down on the trail,” recalled Kathryn Gardow, a hiker and donor to the fund. We backpacked from Mowich Lake to Sunrise, and the trail was so rutted and beat up, even my stronger, younger hiking partner was beat!”

People preserve our parks, especially considering there is a $12 billion deferred maintenance budget for all national parks, and more than $328 million in Washington State alone. To the parks!