ITA volunteers help keep hiking trails open

The Idaho Trails Association is a statewide non-profit organization that uses volunteers to help maintain Idaho’s hiking trails. The ITA will be holding a general meeting and a special Volunteer Appreciation Party on Saturday, May 19, near Sandpoint. The general meeting is open to the public. The presentations start at 2 p.m. at 877 Heath Lake Road in Sagle.

The ITA has arranged to have experts do special presentations and demonstrations on bear safety and use of bear canisters, and new hiking and backpacking gear that will make your hike safer and more fun. The folks from the Idaho Backcountry Horsemen and some of their animals will also be at the meeting to put on a demonstration of horse packing.

After these presentations, everyone will have a chance to visit with the experts (and the horses), try the crosscut and other saws ITA uses on field projects, and also try out some of that latest and best gear for hiking and backpacking.

ITA officials will then talk about the projects planned for 2018 and how to volunteer to help.

Following all of that, ITA will provide dinner and refreshments for our members and volunteers

who worked on projects in 2017. Members of the public who sign up ahead of time can purchase

dinner ($10 per person) and stay for the rest of the program to learn more about ITA and how we

can all help to keep our hiking trails open.

To sign up for the dinner, please go to the ITA website at idahotrailsassociation.org. Click on the story about the appreciation parties and then on the signup button for the May 19 party in northern Idaho.