“Sudden Magnitude,” by Brad Goldpaint—one of the 2017 Photo Contest Overall winners.
Spring is in the air. Thru-hikers are tending to early blisters and making their way north. Trees are budding in the Pacific Northwest and the Sierra snowpack is melting, albeit stubbornly. And we have a new batch of amazing photos to share via our annual photo contest.
This is one of the best parts of my job as the PCTA’s editor. Our community has a great eye for beauty, and our muse rarely disappoints. The PCT is an amazing place. And your photos help us protect it, inspire support for the work we do together and get people excited about getting out there.
So, as you pause over a burger in the next trail town or contemplate your next overnight on the PCT, take a little time to watch a slide show of our 2017 contest winners. Congratulations to all our volunteer winners and to all of you who entered the contest. We’ll use your photos in our magazine, calendar and promotional materials throughout the year.
A special thanks to our volunteer judges led by Lee Terkelsen: David Thurber, Roger Gong and Madelyn Serpa. Over many hours, they painstakingly pored over more than 1,000 entries this year to come up with the following list of winners. We could not do this without them.
And of course, our top three winners will get great prizes from our contest sponsor, LEKI. Many thanks to our friends at LEKI for their overwhelming support for the trail and our association. The people at LEKI are dedicated to making our outdoor adventures the best they can be and we appreciate the partnership.
Here’s the list:
OVERALL WINNERS
- Connor Welch – Snow Skylight
- Brad Goldpaint – Sudden Magnitude
- Leonardo Nicoletti – Tears in the Desert
TRAIL MAJESTY
- Thomas Piekunka – Purple Mountains Majesty
- Abel Rojas – Mount Jefferson at Sunset
- Patrick Beggan – Lower Miner’s Creek Falls
Honorable Mentions
Charlie Willard – Crater Lake Moonrise
Rick Morgan – Morning Light
Thomas Piekunka – Olympus on Fire
Patrick Beggan – Camp Under the Big Dipper
Matthew Kennedy – Mossy Oak on the McCloud
HUMAN SPIRIT
- Nick Pritchard – Descending Mount Whitney
- Jean-Paul Jutras – Resupply of Precious Water
- Maria Geraldine Ignacio – This Is Us
Honorable Mentions
Lou Solly – PCT Junction
Lachian Fysh – Album Cover
Jeremy Jones – The Wonderful Team I Finished With
Todd Bast – Bevmo Crossing the “Falls”
Andy Berger – Cowgirl Camping
FLORA AND FAUNA
- Charlie Willard – Wildflowers Jefferson Park
- Jake Thum – Huckleberry Hang Out
- Chris Alexander – Mushroom
Honorable Mentions
Conner Welch – Slither Away Rattlesnake
David Sayer – Mario Mushroom
Carolyn Mason – Adorable Marmots
Brandan O’Connor – The Beauty of Details
John Reglinski – Misty Morning
Rick Morgan – Northern Saw-Whet Owl
Philippe Davignon – Black Bear
TRAIL WORK
- Bri Leahy – Worksite with A View
- Bern Gross – Bunk Beds Not Included
- Anna Sofranko – Bandana Face Mask Trail Worker
Honorable Mention
Sammy Lyon – L.A. Youth Volunteers on the Trail
EQUESTRIAN
- Greg Spencer – Onward to Shasta
- Brad Lane – Horseback Mountain Tops
- Gillian Larson – Gillian And Shyla
Honorable Mentions
Bri Leahy – Cowboys on the Ridge
Jean Hacquart – Riders Having a Break