{"id":53687,"date":"2025-10-01T16:08:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T20:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?p=53687"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:08:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T20:08:53","slug":"eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Backpacks heavy with tools and gear, a crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry. The West Fork Wallowa Trail became both their home and their project site, a wild corridor leading to the Lakes Basin where jagged peaks and glacial lakes set the backdrop for every day\u2019s effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the moment they hit the trail, the group leaned into the challenge. They brushed thick overgrowth, sawed through fallen trees, and dug out stubborn drainage\u2014all with the goal of keeping this heavily used route open for hikers heading to Ice Lake, Mirror Lake, and Glacier Lake. \u201cLooking back at the amazing trail work we were able to accomplish each day as a team, having only met days before, was my favorite part,\u201d shared one volunteer.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Life in the backcountry wove the group together quickly. Volunteers cooked and camped side by side, swapped stories beneath the stars, and hiked to hidden corners of the wilderness on their day off. A cold dip in the river after long hours of trail work sealed the experience with both grit and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By week\u2019s end, the group marveled at what they had accomplished\u2014not only the transformed a large stretch of trail, but the camaraderie and trust that made it possible. One crew member summed it up best: \u201cWe volunteers and Forest Service staff bonded quickly, enjoyed each other’s company, communicated well and accomplished unimaginable improvements to different segments of the trail each day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Eagle Cap adventure was as much about backpacking through wild landscapes as it was about discovering the strength of community in remote places.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay connected by joining an upcoming Volunteer Vacation and watching for our 2026 trip calendar. Sign up for our newsletter for updates and opportunities.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":53688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[650],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBackcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness - American Hiking Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Hiking Society\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-01T20:08:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-01T20:08:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing-800x549.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"549\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maggie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AmericanHiking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AmericanHiking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maggie\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Maggie\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0\"},\"headline\":\"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-01T20:08:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-01T20:08:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\"},\"wordCount\":313,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\",\"name\":\"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness - American Hiking Society\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-01T20:08:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-01T20:08:53+00:00\",\"description\":\"A crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png\",\"width\":2196,\"height\":1508},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Hiking Society\",\"description\":\"Protecting the places you love to hike.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"American Hiking Society\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png\",\"width\":576,\"height\":576,\"caption\":\"American Hiking Society\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AmericanHiking\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0\",\"name\":\"Maggie\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Maggie\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/author\/maggie-peikon\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness - American Hiking Society","description":"A crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness","og_description":"A crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry.","og_url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","og_site_name":"American Hiking Society","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking","article_published_time":"2025-10-01T20:08:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-01T20:08:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":549,"url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing-800x549.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Maggie","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AmericanHiking","twitter_site":"@AmericanHiking","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maggie","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/"},"author":{"name":"Maggie","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0"},"headline":"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness","datePublished":"2025-10-01T20:08:52+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-01T20:08:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/"},"wordCount":313,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png","articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","name":"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness - American Hiking Society","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png","datePublished":"2025-10-01T20:08:52+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-01T20:08:53+00:00","description":"A crew of American Hiking Society volunteers set out into Oregon\u2019s Eagle Cap Wilderness to spend a week living and working in the backcountry.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/william-laing.png","width":2196,"height":1508},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/eagle-cap-wilderness-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Backcountry Stewardship in Eagle Cap Wilderness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/","name":"American Hiking Society","description":"Protecting the places you love to hike.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization","name":"American Hiking Society","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png","width":576,"height":576,"caption":"American Hiking Society"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking","https:\/\/x.com\/AmericanHiking"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0","name":"Maggie","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Maggie"},"url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/author\/maggie-peikon\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53687"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53691,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53687\/revisions\/53691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}