The Pacific Crest Trail community has lost one of its great champions. Bill Jensen, a steadfast supporter of the PCT, longtime major donor, avid thru-hiker, and inspired Trail Angel, recently died of a heart attack in New Mexico while hiking a section of the CDT. Bill truly believed in this trail and the community it offers. He leaves behind a rich legacy of devotion in the pursuit of adventure.
Bill Jensen Rests In San Felipe Valley. April 5, 1977
One ad. 1977. “The High Adventure of Eric Ryback.”
Bill Jensen was born for a life outside; he would have said it was in his DNA. Raised by parents who cherished family camping trips, road trips to national parks and time spent on a trail, Bill grew up immersed in the outdoors. Those early experiences helped shape the life he would go on to live.
Troop 69 on the PCT north of Old Snowy (Goat Rocks)
At age 11, he became a Boy Scout, joining Portland, Oregon’s Troop 69. The unconventional adventures of his youth, spent overnight backpacking in the Columbia River Gorge, hiking week-long 50-milers, and braving the snow for annual winter camping trips, set in motion his fascination with the Pacific Crest Trail. His very first 50-miler with the troop was on the PCT in Washington, from White Pass south to Killen Creek Meadows. He did five more of these long hikes as a Scout, each time chasing that familiar rush of going the distance.
A few years later, and Bill was reading “The High Adventure of Eric Ryback.” The memoir follows 18-year-old Eric on his 1970 trek to become the first person to backpack the entire Pacific Crest Trail. The story planted a seed. With miles of backcountry adventure awaiting him, and years of backpacking experience to put to the test, it was only a matter of time before Bill answered the call, or more so the ad.
“Looking for a partner to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.”
That’s what the ad in the student newspaper at Oregon State University read in February 1977. At the time, Bill was a sophomore, studying Civil Engineering and positively burnt out. After taking a few days to think it over, he opted for a break and decided to take on the hike of a lifetime with his new partner, Bob Alexander.
The Portland Trailblazers
It was April 2, 1977. Bill was 19, standing at the border at Campo. It was time for them to go, the Portland Trailblazers that is. Back then, trail names were assigned by the group, not the individual. Information for planning was limited, and trail magic was non-existent. A handful of Wilderness Press Guidebooks and a survey compilation of the earliest thru-hikers would be paving the way.
“Our trip had its share of adventures. We got lost a lot during the first month, got snowed out of the Sierras and encountered lots of rain in Washington. Bob got sick in Northern California and went home for a couple of weeks before rejoining me in Ashland. Hiking solo for those two weeks was an amazing experience. Bob and I had different hiking styles. He was more cerebral than I and liked getting to camp early to relax and read. I just wanted to pound out the miles.” – Excerpt from “Random Memories From a 1977 Thru-Hiker” by Bill Jensen
In the final stretch through Washington, near the Canadian border, Bill found himself alone with the North Cascades. Rain had forced Portland Trailblazers off the trail at Stevens Pass, and both Bill and Bob returned home. But with the finish so close, Bill went back to the trail to complete what they had begun together. On September 13, 1977, he crossed the border. Bill Jensen had walked from Mexico to Canada.
One milestone after another…
When Bill shared his memories with us for the summer 2014 issue of the Communicator, his author bio read:
Bill Jensen lives and works in Portland, Ore., and is a strong supporter of the PCTA. He hopes to retire in the near future and complete another thru-hike, probably on the Appalachian Trail.
He was a man of his word. In his late 50s and newly retired, Bill began his Appalachian Trail thru-hike on April 2, 2017, exactly 40 years after he set out on the PCT. He did not stop there. In 2020, when COVID upended his much-anticipated return to the PCT, he turned to the Colorado Trail instead. The fun continued into 2021 when he took on the Tahoe Rim Trail. By the time 2022 came around, he was inspired to try something new entirely, a TransAmerica bike tour from Yorktown, Virginia, to Astoria, Oregon. He rode 3,965 miles, crossing the AT, CDT, and PCT along the way. Passing through a few old stomping grounds and running into hikers made the journey all the more meaningful.
The PCT Class of 1977 25-Year Reunion at Castle Crags. The signs are replicas.
Bill referred to himself as a “thru-hiker wannabe,” but the life he lived made that impossible to believe. This was not wishful thinking or borrowed identity. It was a lifelong calling he answered again and again across trails, decades and miles. Bill wasn’t a wannabe. He was the real deal. He made lifelong friends, an all-star cast from the Class of 1977, helping inspire future generations of thru-hikers to experience the PCT for themselves.
Bill was a go-getter.
A man who was thrilled by the idea of getting to plan from start to finish his next adventure. In his passing, he left behind a legacy defined by adventure, generosity and a deep love of the outdoors. He will be greatly missed and certainly not forgotten. The PCTA remains incredibly grateful to Bill. He was a PCTA member since ‘05 and part of the PCTA Legacy Society, ensuring that with his gift the trail would continue to be preserved and surrounding wilderness protected.
“There’s so many people out there that have known him from camping on the trail or running into him on this trail or that trail, just being active in this world for 50 years, there will be people who have crossed paths with him that will see this and remember him in one way or another because he was a positive light on people and loved to talk.” – Troy Jensen, Bill’s son
Bill Jensen views Crater Lake and Wizard Island.
Crater lake, Or. July 20th, 1977
He was dedicated to sharing that spirit of adventure with others, whether through trading stories, cooking a meal for passing hikers at Lolo Pass, or simply offering a piece of advice. The PCT wove its way through Bill’s life. He grew alongside it, became a man, and shared that same love with his children, taking them to backpack sections of it. Bill Jensen was classic. He was the ‘hiked it before it was cool’ guy of ‘77, and that is the kind of legacy the trail community was built on.