Check out the latest:

Boxer and McKeon Introduce Legislation to Protect Wilderness - May 23. 2008

Tejon Ranch Trail Relocation Project - May 09, 2008

Search for the Good of the Trail - May 08, 2008

Book a meeting and protect one of America’s greatest National Scenic Trails. - April 08, 2008

New PCT Maps Win Cartography Design Award

PCT Places in Need

SCA alumni to support Pacific Crest Trail volunteer work

Volunteer Opportunity in the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests!
(January 2008) The High Cascade Forest Volunteers and the Pacific Crest Trail Association are teaming up to offer spring training that will prepare you for fun and rewarding projects. Come alone, or bring your friends and family, and have some fun being a part of your National Forest...

Mike Dawson Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

REI Grant Helps Fund National Trails Day Event, Southern California Volunteer Recruitment, and Youth Outreach

Call for Entries: Annual PCT Photo Contest
(November 2007) Do you have a picture that would look great in the Communicator? Many of the pictures we'll publish in 2008 will be selected from those entered in the Annual Photo Contest. Deadline is Jan. 31, 2008. Click on the link above for complete submission information.

Be an Oregon Trail Angel
(June 2007) The Willamette and Deschutes National Forests in Oregon and the PCTA are developing a list of volunteer Emergency Responders who might be called upon in the event of emergency closures of the PCT in their area. Volunteer responders would help hikers and equestrians get to a designated detour route or to the nearest re-supply point. Click on the link above to learn how you can help.

PCTA adds Dana Berthold to the Trail Operations staff

Mail Tribune
Land near Pilot Rock wins protection - April 10, 2007

A new Pacific Crest Trail documentary by Scott Herriott
A follow-up to both "Walk" & "Still Walking"...it's oh-so creatively called "Even More Walking”

- Until the end of March, I'm donating 20% of all proceeds to the Pacific Crest Trail Association (pcta.org) - All 3 documentaries are going for the reduced rate of $38 (including S & H)

The Power Of Walking 
Interview with Yo-yoer Scott Williamson on CBS Sunday Morning Sunday, January 21, 2007

Pacific Crest Trail 2007-2009 Strategic Plan
Picture yourself on the Pacific Crest Trail in three years. Where would you be? In the North Cascades? The desert? No matter where your trail days take you, the Pacific Crest Trail Association's Strategic Plan, approved by the Board of Directors in July 2006, will help ensure that the PCT you travel will be better protect ed and preserved down the road than it is today. Use the link above to download and read the PCTA’s Strategic Plan.

eBay auction result
Great news! Our eBay auction of the John Raux original painting "Moving Mountains" raised $1000 for the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA). The winning bid was placed by New Zealand transplant Art Hopkins and his family living in Northern California. Having hiked parts of the trail, Art is pleased that his bid will be used to help preserve the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, "it's truly a wonderful resource so I'm really happy to be involved in this way - particularly now that we have young children who really enjoy the outdoors."

Gramicci to Auction Painting on eBay Benefiting the Pacific Crest Trail Association
(Posted April 2006) Beginning Monday June 5, 2006 art lovers and outdoor enthusiasts from around the world can start bidding on an original work by Kansas City artist John Lawrence Raux. Inspired by a love of nature, Raux’s oil painting captures the essence of the great outdoors using vivid colors and a wildlife theme. Commissioned by Gramicci, a 22 year veteran of the outdoor apparel industry, all proceeds from the winning bid will be donated to the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) to help preserve the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.

4.5-Mile PCT Detour at Angeles Crest
(Posted March 2006) As part of efforts to protect critical habitat of the mountain yellow-legged frog, the U.S. Forest Service has temporarily limited access to approximately 1,000 acres in the area north of the Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2) in the vicinity of Cooper Canyon. Hikers must detour around the area. Learn more...

PCTA Adds Southern Calif. Regional Representative
(Posted March 2006) Suzanne Wilson has joined the PCTA as its second staff Regional Representative (serving Southern California). Learn more about her background, interests, and job responsibilities.

McConnell Foundation Funds Volunteer Recruitment
(Posted December 2005) The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) will soon become a bit more scenic. With the help of a generous grant through the McConnell Foundation's Leadership Grantmaking Program, the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) will be recruiting and organizing new volunteer groups in the Shasta and Siskiyou county regions to provide ongoing trail maintenance support.

Postal Service Unveils PCT Commemorative Stamp
(Posted December 2005) What do American bullfrogs, Bering Glacier, Mount Washington, Gateway Arch, and the PCT have in common? They are among the forty remarkable places, structures, plants, and animals depicted on the United States Postal Service's 2006 Commemorative stamp pane titled "Wonders of America: Land of Superlatives." .

PCTA Says Goodbye to a Good Friend
(Posted October 2005) The Pacific Crest Trail and Pacific Crest Trail Association have lost a good friend. Eugene F. ("Bud") Reid, of Carpinteria, Calif., passed away on Sunday, October 2, 2005. Bud served on the PCTA Board of Directors for six years (1997 - 2002) and was the PCTA's Treasurer for a number of years.

Louise Marshall, National and State Leader in Hiking Movement, 1915 - 2005
(Posted September 2005) America's hiking community has lost a longtime pioneer of hiking opportunities and trail preservation. Louise Marshall, a national leader in the hiking movement for the last 40 years, author, former PCTA President, founder of Washington Trails Association, co-founder of the American Hiking Society, and the first female REI board member passed away at her Lynnwood, Wash., home on Wednesday August 24 2005 of natural causes.

SmartWool Awards PCTA Grant
(Posted August 2005) SmartWool Corporation (best know for its hiking socks) has included the Pacific Crest Trail Association among its first round of Advocacy Program grant recipients. Learn more about the grant and what the PCTA will use it for.

Visit the US Forest Service's New PCT Site
(Posted April 2005) Looking for even more useful information and beautiful pictures of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail? Visit the US Forest Service's new PCT Web site.

Get Your Copy: New Southern California PCT Map
(Posted April 2005) Planning a PCT hike in S. Calif.? Or just looking to add to your PCT memorabilia? Get a copy of the US Forest Service's new map of the PCT in S. Calif. This is the first of 10 PCT topographic maps to be published by the Forest Service in cooperation with the PCTA. The maps are fully functional for route finding and include interesting natural and historical information as well as suggestions for short trips. Get your copy from the PCTA store, in the "PCT Guide & Planning Books" section.

PCTA Welcomes New Staff
(Posted March 2005) Ian Nelson has joined the PCTA as its first-ever staff Regional Representative (serving Northern California and Southern Oregon). Learn more about his background, interests, and job responsibilities.

Sierra Nevada Mountain Water: Is It Safe to Drink?
(Posted February 2005) Funded by a grant from the Wilderness Medical Society, Dr. Robert Derlet of the UC Davis Medical Center is researching the purity of Sierra Nevada water. He shares his findings (and references) in this article from our February 2005 Communicator.

McConnell Foundation Funds Volunteer Recruitment PCTA, December 2005

Postal Service Unveils PCT Commemorative Stamp PCTA, December 2005

PCTA Says Goodbye to a Good Friend: Eugene F. ("Bud") Reid PCTA, October 2005

Louise Marshall, National and State Leader in Hiking Movement, 1915 - 2005 PCTA & WTA, September 2005

SmartWool Awards PCTA Grant PCTA, August 2005

PCTA Welcomes Ian Nelson as Regional Representative PCTA, March 2005

Mike Dawson Joins PCTA as Trail Operations Director, PCTA, January 10, 2004

PCTA Editor Wins National Outdoor Book Award
(Posted November 2004) Congratulations to Angela Ballard (PCTA Editor & Publications Manager) and Duffy Ballard! Their book about the PCT, A Blistered Kind of Love, has won Honorable Mention in the Outdoor Literature category of the 2004 National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA). NOBA is the outdoor world's largest and most prestigious book award program.

Improved Trail Conditions Page
(Posted July 2004) Good news! We've greatly improved our Trail Conditions page! View trail conditions reports by region and section or submit your own report using a new online form.

Washington PCT Detour
(Posted April 2004) Due to damage caused by flooding, 45 miles of the PCT are impassable. A detour will be in effect for several years. Learn the details about this detour, link to maps and an order form for a detailed topo map of the area.

Tips for the Long-Distance Equestrian
(Posted March 2004) In the February 2004 issue of the Communicator we published a helpful article, by Joanne Lennox, about riding the PCT. Now here's the extended version of that article -- full of even more helpful advice.

Mike Dawson Joins PCTA as Trail Operations Director
(Posted January 2004) PCTA is pleased to announce that Mike Dawson of Vashon, Wash., has accepted the position of Trail Operations Director. Learn more about Mike's expertise and experience from this press release.

Forest Flood Damage Tops $10 Million, Recreation Areas Cut Off in '04, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, November 14, 2003

Last week's rains did untold damage, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Wednesday, October, 29, 2003

Senate budget has no money to protect PCT, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2003

Unwieldy section of PCT gets face lift, Record Searchlight, August 17, 2003

Pacific Crest Trail Association and Tahoe Rim Trail Association to celebrate National Trails Day and a recent acquisition that will protect a trail segment in the Tahoe area.
May 23, 2003, PCTA, Sacramento, California

National Scenic Trail Lands Acquired. Nearly 4,700 acres of forest land, including about 6 miles of the PCT, have been purchased by the Forest Service from Plum Creek Timber Company.
May 21, 2003, Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee, Washington

See also:
• 9,000 acres bought for preservation in Cascades, Seattle Times, May 22, 2003
• 9,119 preserved in Cascade Corridor. Partnership buys land from timber company, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 22, 2003

PCTA Honors Timber Company with Partnership Award; Collins Pine Company Demonstrates Unique and Exemplary Stewardship of National Scenic Trail
March 3, 2003, PCTA, Sacramento, California

Forest Flood Damage Tops $10 Million, Recreation Areas Cut off in '04
(Posted December 2003) Visit the USDA Forest Service page above for information on the most current conditions of the damaged trails in Washington. Please note that the Forest Service PCT Manager is working to identify trail re-routes. Check our website after March 1, 2004, for more information.

No Such Thing As Reentry (Posted December 2003) If you hiked the PCT in 2003, don't miss Jackie "Yogi" McDonnell's column. Returning the to the trail for another season, Yogi recounts her adventures as well as those of fellow thru-hikers. An excerpt of this piece will be published in the February issue of the Communicator.

A Blistered Kind of Love (Posted October 2003)
Authors Angela (PCTA Communicator Editor) and Duffy Ballard trekked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2000. Their story is both humorous and touching. Discover what happens when a couple puts their relationship to a trial by trail, read A Blistered Kind of Love, published by The Mountaineers Books and the winner of the Barbara Savage Memorial Award.

Fun Facts (Posted July 2003)
The great "pancake challenge" at the Seiad Valley Cafe was recently named the third greatest "pig out" in the world!

National Scenic Trail Lands In Washington Acquired. (June 2003)
Nearly 4,700 acres of forest land, including about 6 miles of the PCT, have been purchased by the Forest Service from Plum Creek Timber Company. Learn more from the press release listed above and the following newspaper articles:

• 9,000 acres bought for preservation in Cascades, (Seattle Times, May 22, 2003)
• 9,119 preserved in Cascade Corridor. Partnership buys land from timber company, (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 22, 2003)

Partnership Award Winner (March 2003)
The PCTA has honored the Collins Pine Company with its annual Partnership Award. The Partnership Award has historically been given to fellow non-profit organizations with exemplary records of providing service to the PCT. In what some might call a surprising departure from tradition, the 2002 award went to a for-profit timber company. Learn more from our recent press release.

Pacific Crest Trail Association's Annual Alice Krueper Clean-Up Day to Target Interstate 10 Corridor in San Gorgonio Pass on November 16, 2002
October 22, 2002, PCTA, Sacramento, California

World Record Long-Distance Hiker, Flyin' Brian Robinson, to talk about his epic, 7,400-mile, 300-day hike, September 24,2002
August 14, 2002, PCTA, Sacramento, California

Local Trail Volunteer to Receive National BLM Award; Bureau of Land Management recognizes "Pickaxe" Pete, of Ventura, Ca., and his Pacific Crest Trail Gorillas for making a difference in Southern California
May 22, 2002, PCTA, Sacramento, California