Hikers need to keep up to date

Thanks for your informative story, “Fall flood damage hampers forest access” on April 27. The devastating floods of last October wreaked havoc on low elevation trails, access roads and bridges in the Cascades. Unfortunately, our parks and forests don’t have an insurance policy to cash in on. It is critical that folks know of the damage and pay attention to what trails are accessible and safe before heading out hiking this year.

Hikers can get the latest conditions on storm-damaged trails all summer long from the Washington Trails Association Web site www.wta.org. There you’ll find a large database of trip reports submitted by hikers fresh from the trail. You can also sign up to volunteer for a trail maintenance work party to repair the storm damage, and discover what you can do help ensure adequate funding is secured to repair the washed out bridges, roads and trails.

Emergency funding has not yet been made available to cover the needed repairs. Without additional funds from Congress, many of our favorite trails will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The challenge will be to find additional money for this important public resource at a time when federal budgets are tight across the board. In the meantime, backcountry visitors will be seeing a lot more of each other as we crowd onto the few trails that are still accessible and intact.

Washington Trail Association

Seattle