Note: This is the second part of our trail maintenance highlights series, featuring the Oregon Cascades and the North Cascades. In case you missed it, be sure to visit part 1 of this series covering Southern California and the High Sierra.
Oregon Cascades
Photo of Ellen Davis in the Columbia Cascades. Photo by Jake Rawdin.
Clearing blowdowns from the trail, also known as “logging out,” is a regular and important part of PCT annual maintenance. It is also some of the more dangerous work that PCTA volunteers and crews tackle. Anyone using a crosscut saw or chainsaw on the PCT must be certified through the U.S. Forest Service saw training and certification program. Fortunately, the PCTA has a highly skilled cadre of volunteer saw instructors as well as a few hundred skilled and certified sawyers in its volunteer ranks.
Over the course of last year’s field season in Oregon’s Cascades, the PCTA hosted several log-out projects and cleared dozens of logs from the PCT section that overlaps with the Timberline Trail on Mount Hood. The Timberline Trail wraps around the famous mountain at about tree line. Roughly half of it overlaps with the PCT and is one of the most popular sections of trail in Oregon.
Photo of Albert Iggy and Robert Caldwell in the Columbia Cascades. Photo by Jake Rawdin.
Crews worked in snow, rain, heat, and then sunny, crisp fall days to clear logs of every type, all on steep slopes. The USFS saw certification program has three levels (A, B, and C), with sawyers able to work their way up over time as they take part in training and gain experience in the field. This project was a win-win, with sawyers getting lots of practice and much-needed work getting done.
Photo of Tom Weimann in the Columbia Cascades. Photo credit to Jake Rawdin.
It wasn’t just the PCT that benefited. Volunteers cleared logs on a variety of intersecting trails as well, from popular day hiking routes to those more commonly used by thru-hikers and intrepid multi-day backpackers (with these involving the clearing of complex groups of trees fallen across the trail, called “jackstraws”). One section had been closed since a major windstorm in 2020 knocked down hundreds of trees over two miles. Through the tireless work of volunteer section caretaker Robert Caldwell and dedicated volunteers, the area reopened and the Timberline loop became usable again. Word spread, and soon, trailheads were buzzing with people excited to see ridgelines and views they hadn’t been able to access for years.
North Cascades
Photo by Alexandra Hagel
In the North Cascades last September, PCTA hosted a 3-day, 2-night car camping project to improve the PCT as it passes near Mount Rainier National Park. National Park staff supported the project, and the crew camped at a park campground. This was part of an ongoing, annual PCTA and National Park Service effort to improve the trail just south of the Naches Loop on the way to Dewey Lake.
This section of trail gets a lot of use. It is an easy out-and-back trek from Chinook Pass in Mount Rainier National Park. It also has many aging wooden check steps and other structures that are eroding or washing out. The crew’s goal was to replace as many check steps as they could and to do so in a sustainable and longer-lasting manner. By the end of the trip, they’d replaced seven check steps in a long weekend.
It wasn’t all work. The crew hiked to alpine lakes and learned about the park’s bat population, taking evening walks with a park biologist carrying a bat frequency detector.
Photo of Mac Mckay, by Jake Rawdin.
A hearty thank-you to all the volunteers, corps crews, partner organizations, and PCTA and agency staff whose dedication and working relationships ensure the many similar projects every year get done with funding from federal and private sources, including PCTA members.
Whenever and wherever you get out on the trail this coming year, we know you’ll find both freshly maintained sections and spots waiting for care. There’s always more to be done, and after the winter season, even more will be revealed. As one field season transitions to another, PCT sections will be scouted, and locations will be put in the queue for the next maintenance round. Meetings will be held, and project calendars will be filled out as we all work together to maintain the beloved PCT.
There are so many ways to contribute to the PCT’s care, maintenance, accessibility, and longevity. Day projects, car camping weekends, and longer backcountry trail maintenance expeditions await volunteers. There’s basic brush clearing, and there’s the chance to work your way up to being saw-certified. We have seasoned volunteers who have put in countless hours of work and for whom trail work is a fixture in their lives, and we have brand-new volunteers getting outside to help out and see what it’s all about. All are welcome.
Photo by Alex Brauman.
The stewardship of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the conservation of the lands it traverses are championed by our remarkable volunteers and supporters. If you’re interested in participating in trail maintenance and improvement projects in 2024, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Alternatively, to contribute financially and support these vital on-the-ground efforts, visit pcta.org/donate. Your involvement is crucial in preserving the beauty and accessibility of the PCT for all to enjoy.