Woss is a pretty little village, more of a logging camp than a town though. It was built during the time of the train logging era and up until the end of 2017 was still using trains hauling logs. They shut that down in 2017 after there was a tragic accident involving a run-away loaded log car, 3 workers lost their lives with others being seriously injured. One must wonder if this is what so quickly ended the train era.
A friend of mine in Sayward whose husband Larry worked on the train for 30 years said it was a shock to see his job ending as it did, Larry grew up in Woss and can still clearly remember the steam engines of days gone by and loved watching them roll through the community, it was what inspired him to seek employment on the trains. He was a second brakeman for many years before becoming an engineer in 1995.
Larry had no intention of retiring anytime soon and figured he would just keep at it for many years yet. Now at 65, there is no way he could retrain for other work and has basically been forced into retirement. Out of the 34 who worked in this division, 15 will lose their jobs and the others will be retrained.
There are lots to do up in the Woss area including hiking, canoeing, mountain climbing, windsurfing, and mountain biking, there are many very nice campgrounds located at the various lakes and rivers here. There are many caves to explore, from the beginner type right up to deep and dark holes for the more experienced spelunkers.
The fishing is incredible just about anywhere you drop a line in and the variety of fish is incredible, there are many types of birdlife here and quite a variety of animals to view. I have always enjoyed hiking in the area. There is an old trail that runs from Woss Lake to Tahis that is called the grease trail, it was used for trade, grease trade. It is now a tourist trail, and it’s pretty awesome. For those who want to see the valley from above, there is the Woss lookout trail that takes you up to an old fire lookout, the views are just incredible.
So put on your boots, pack a bag and head out for an island adventure in Woss.