Volunteer Profile: Doris Wang

Doris Wang has a seemingly undrainable well of energy and positivity. She is a trail work volunteer with WTA and an amplifier of our messages through her social media channels. She also supports WTA's Trails Rebooted work in the Mountain Loop Highway by researching hikes and using her extensive online platform to provide a positive voice in online discussions of hiking etiquette.

We asked her a few questions about why she likes volunteering and what keeps her engaged in WTA's community.

Doris came to trail work through a friend; now she brings her friends and family out. Photo by Doris Wang.

WTA: What about volunteering do you like?

Doris Wang: I love volunteering because I enjoy helping out and giving back to my community. I never had the means to donate a lot of money to organizations that I loved, but having found that I am able to donate my time and volunteer has been amazing! It makes me feel like I am making a difference, however tiny, in this big world we live in.

WTA: Your first experience with WTA was a trail work party, correct?

Yes, it was a day work party up north at Larrabee State Park in 2017. A friend wanted a group of us to sign up with her for her birthday! I thought, sounds fun, why not?!

WTA: Cool! And then you have gotten your friends involved in volunteering too, right?

I got a friend to sign up with me for her first BCRT (backcountry response team) last summer and she earned her green hat! She is signed up for another BCRT this year with me as well.

Doris with her friend Katherine on the BCRT last year where Katherine earned her hard hat. Photo by Doris Wang.

WTA: Do you have a favorite way to volunteer? A favorite type of trail work project or a favorite place to go?  My favorite way to volunteer is with friends, and if no friends come along, I always sign my significant other up for volunteer opportunities with me.

I tend to sign up for day work parties by what is open on certain dates, so even though we live north of Seattle, we will drive to Bellingham or the Olympic Peninsula if they have openings, but I would say my favorite place to go would be Mountain Loop Highway, or Highway 2 since they are close to home.

WTA: What made you say yes to being an ambassador for the Mountain Loop Highway Trails Rebooted work? Can you talk a little bit about your connection to that area? 
I wanted more ways to volunteer with WTA than just work parties, so when you reached out to me to be an ambassador I was more than happy to say yes.

Doris and her husband Cody enjoyed hiking on the Mountain Loop Highway well before she became an ambassador for our work there. Photo by Doris Wang.

Also, the Mountain Loop Highway isn’t too far from home. I didn’t realize how much hiking I did out there until you guys ran the survey about the area. Lake 22, Mount Dickerman, Pilchuck, Monte Cristo — all hikes I have done — are all on the Mountain Loop Highway!

My husband’s family also own a small piece of land in the city of Darrington and we go camping there every summer.

WTA: Besides hiking and camping, what other hobbies do you have? 

Pre-pandemic I had a small garden box that I liked to grow tomatoes and zucchini in. Since the pandemic my obsession with gardening has grown tenfold! So besides hiking and camping my other hobby that takes up a lot of my time is gardening! I grow mainly vegetables!

WTA: Thank you so much for all your work supporting WTA. It's great to have such dedicated people in our community. Anything else you'd like to share?

Yeah, I love volunteering with WTA and writing trip reports!

Doris gets outside year round -- some of her favorite locations are on the Mountain Loop Highway. Photo by Doris Wang.