The Pacific Crest Trail Association is excited to have technical advisors in the field supporting our corps crews and volunteer programs in 2017. Connor Swift and Tyler Lau already are working in Southern California and will move to Northern California this summer before returning south in the fall.
Technical advisors perform vital duties associated with our field programs. They support corps crew partners we work with, such as American Conservation Experience. They are highly skilled in technical trail work and oversee the high standard of quality we expect from the crews. In turn, these corps crews have a reputation for providing great work. Of course, the combination results in an amazing trail experience.
Technical advisors also help PCTA regional representatives with Trail Skills Colleges and other volunteer based programs. Over the years, many of our technical advisors have gone on to work long term with fellow trail organizations around the country.
Connor Swift and Tyler Lau at the PCTA office in Sacramento, Calif.
Connor Swift worked for the PCTA as a technical advisor in 2016 in Southern California and the Northern Sierra, and will continue many of his previous projects this season. While not on the PCT over the winter, Connor spent most of his free time enjoying the High Sierra snow on skis. Living in the Eastern Sierra allowed him to take full advantage of the record-breaking winter snowfall. Connor also spends a significant amount of his time with family. While working, he’s on the trail for up to 10 days at a time, so he enjoys the opportunity to catch up with people close to him. Connor returned to the PCTA in early January and has been overseeing trail projects in Southern California. He’s been determined to complete a few ongoing projects, such as PCT rehabilitation in the Powerhouse Fire and the Pilot Fire areas. He will also be working in the Mountain Fire area in the San Jacinto Ranger District, where he and his crew will once again tackle a stretch of trail that was heavily damaged by the burn. It’s going to be another busy season for Connor, but he’s ready for whatever he encounters while working hard to maintain the PCT.
Connor Swift in the Sierra Nevada.
Tyler Lau is joining the PCTA as a technical advisor for the first time. Tyler graduated from the University of California in San Diego with degrees in environmental systems and urban studies and planning. After traveling to New Zealand and leading conservation work projects, he developed a desire to return to the United States to learn more about natural resource management issues. He has since worked for the Student Conservation Association, Montana Conservation Corps, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Natural Resources. After years of seasonal trail work and wildland firefighting, Tyler decided to fulfill his dream of thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016. This was an idea planted many years earlier, when he first began working in the outdoors. As a technical advisor for the PCTA, Tyler is excited about the opportunity to give back to the trail that provided so much to him and to help future generations experience the PCT. When not working on trails, Tyler enjoys rock climbing, cooking, skiing, running and pie.
Tyler Lau at home on the PCT in Southern California.