Washington Trails Association
Trails for everyone, forever
Washington Trails AssociationTrails for everyone, forever
During the holiday season, you probably sat down and enjoyed a nice meal with family and friends. You may have even been the one toiling away in a steamy kitchen preparing all manner of deliciousness for your party of four, six or maybe even 10. Well, how about preparing dinner for a party of 8,640? That’s how many meals were served during the 2013 season of WTA’s Volunteer Vacations.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Nov+Dec 2013 issue of Washington Trails magazine. Support trails as a member of WTA to get your one-year subscription to the magazine.
During the holiday season, you probably sat down and enjoyed a nice meal with family and friends. You may have even been the one toiling away in a steamy kitchen preparing all manner of deliciousness for your party of four, six or maybe even 10. Well, how about preparing dinner for a party of 8,640? That’s how many meals were served during the 2013 season of WTA’s Volunteer Vacations.
Of course, all those meals weren’t served up at one time but over the course of 43 spring, summer and fall work parties. Nevertheless, all those meals needed to be planned far in advance. And that planning will soon go into high gear again as the 2014 season of Volunteer Vacations begins this spring. After all, well done trail work isn’t the only purpose of WTA’s Volunteer Vacations. They’re also about fun, friends and food. And good food fuels good times.
“The food has changed a lot from our first Volunteer Vacations,” says Tim Van Beek, WTA’s field programs manager for the past six years. “We used to supply typical ‘camp’ food: mac’n’ cheese, chili, chips and lots of junk food.” It would all get eaten by hungry trail crews, but we noticed that energy and enthusiasm would peak quickly, and would plunge just as swiftly.
When WTA introduced fresh and healthier foods, these were gobbled right up, and the chips and candies were packed out, uneaten, at the end of the vacations. What’s more, the crews had more energy and felt better.
Today, Volunteer Vacation meals are nothing to shake a Pulaski at. Participants can expect fresh meats, cheeses and veggies all week long, in addition to healthy snacks and desserts—but there are still a few chips and candies available for enjoying as a treat.
Each vacation’s location is taken into consideration when planning the menu, with thought given to its elevation and climate. A spring vacation at Lake Chelan will be stocked with icy beverages to refresh on hot days, while a summer vacation on Mount Rainier might be supplied with hot soups for chilly evenings. And weather is monitored closely right up to each vacation in case adjustments are necessary.
A typical Volunteer Vacation features a wide and varied menu, with something new and different every day. Participants will find themselves dining on hot and hearty breakfasts, then preparing their own lunches just the way they like. Dinners may offer chicken curry with basmati rice and vegetables one evening, then grilled Alaskan salmon with mushroom risotto the next. And we never forget the dessert, from roasted marshmallow s’mores to camp baked pineapple upside-down cake. This is real five-star dining in the backcountry! But knowing what to bring, and how much, is where it all begins.
It begins as early as the sign-up process. In order to make Volunteer Vacations inviting to everyone, trip planners take into consideration all dietary preferences. The grocery list will then start to take form, with tasty meat dishes for carnivores and a variety of alternative proteins for vegetarians and vegans. “Starch vehicles” like breads and tortillas are typically a staple, as they can service all manner of filling ingredients. Special food requests can even be accommodated for particular restrictions or allergies, including gluten-free eaters. Peanuts will be left out of trail mix for volunteers with nut allergies. Menus can also cater to many other needs, including lowcarb, low-fat or low-salt diets, lactose-free and even caffeine-free diets.
Following each trip, crew leaders ask participants for feedback on the menu in order to improve on future trips. Sriracha, that addictive hot sauce that tastes great on everything, was recently requested, and now it’s included on every vacation. Once a trip is filled and the menu preferences have been compiled, WTA’s logistics coordinator for Volunteer Vacations, submits the food order.
Many of the staple items are purchased in bulk quantities, then supplemented with shopping trips to Trader Joe’s, QFC and a few other specialty stores. Specialty items like Dave’s Killer Bread, portobello mushrooms and MorningStar Farms’ black bean burgers are usually on the list. The piled high shopping carts always attract attention.
Becky Miller, the 2013 logistic coordinator reports, “When other shoppers see me, they stop me to ask what all the food is for. It is a great opportunity to share about WTA’s Volunteer Vacation program!”
Nothing wakes up a sleepy camper like the smell of breakfast cooking: percolating coffee, buttermilk pancakes on the griddle and sizzling bacon. WTA ensures that volunteers get a good start in the morning with hearty meals like French toast, scrambled eggs and breakfast burritos for big appetites, or a variety of hot and cold cereals for lighter eaters. And breakfasts are far from plain. Camp cooks add a gourmet touch by adding spices to pancakes and berries to oatmeal for a little extra pizzazz.
Before the crew heads to the work site, volunteers make their own lunches from a bounty of snacks and sandwich fixings. Build a meaty sandwich of roast beef and Havarti with a spread of Dijon, or pile the veggies up over a smear of hummus. The options are nearly endless. Volunteers can then supplement their lunch creations with trail mix, pretzels or chips, jerky, crisp apples and juicy oranges.
When work wraps up at the end of the day, volunteers are greeted back at camp with plenty of snacking options while dinner is being prepared. This gives participants an opportunity for some “down time” to relax, converse with new friends and share stories, explore around the camp area or even dive in and help with the dinner preparation. It’s also at this time that participants truly appreciate all the planning and work that goes into their Volunteer Vacations. As they dine on grilled steaks or plentiful soups and stews, they have the satisfaction of banqueting like celebrities, knowing that they didn’t have to haul any of the food supply into camp themselves.
For frontcountry camps accessible by vehicle, that work is done by the crew leaders; for backcountry camps, WTA is thankful to have the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service and Back Country Horsemen of Washington, who lend their pack strings to share in the care and maintenance of Washington’s trails.
So if being pampered in the outdoors sounds like your kind of getaway, look into WTA’s Volunteer Vacations. Signups for 2017 trips begin on February 11, but a preview will be live on the 3rd. You’ll have the opportunity to give back to the trails you love, connect with old friends and meet new ones, and dine like a king for a week in some of the most glorious locations in the state.
Volunteer vacations cost $230 for members and $280 for nonmembers. Discounts are available for subsequent trips. These fees cover the cost of food and logistics. WTA strives not to waste any food on its volunteer vacations. Any non-perishables that are left over at the end of the vacation are packed out and sent on later trips.
