Emily Bauska is the PCTA’s Volunteer Programs Outreach Associate. She is excited about sharing the stories of the hard-working volunteers who maintain the Pacific Crest Trail. Emily grew up hiking in her native state of Oregon and completed a thru-hike of the John Muir Trail through the Sierra Nevada in 2013. When not on the trail, you can find her bicycling or tending to her vegetable garden.
The new alignment of a 6.5-mile stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail in northern California’s Sierra Buttes has been years in the making. We’ve celebrated many milestones, notably, opening a newly constructed 3.9 miles of trail that passes by the gorgeous Tamarack Lakes in 2017.
This year, PCTA staff members, ... Read more
Each year, with your support, the PCTA brings on seasonal employees to get work done in the field. These experienced trail professionals lead volunteer crews on trainings and projects and oversee major PCT reconstruction completed by partner corps crews. The PCTA is pleased to welcome two new trail crew leaders ... Read more
John Hachey was a kindhearted friend and mentor to many of the PCTA’s Southern California Trail Gorillas. He passed away on April 16 from cancer. For the last 17 years, John was dedicated to maintaining the PCT in the San Bernardino National Forest and surrounding areas. In 2006, the PCTA ... Read more
Last summer, the Pacific Crest Trail Association replaced the beloved but weathered monument at the Northern Terminus of the PCT. You may have read the story of intrepid volunteers with the PCTA’s North 350 Blades who replaced the monument in the Fall 2018 issue of the PCT Communicator.
We ... Read more
The Pacific Crest Trail Association’s annual awards recognize people and partners for their extraordinary dedication to the PCT. Below is a summary of the award winners recognized throughout 2018. The Pacific Crest Trail will benefit from these trail champions’ outstanding contributions for years to come. Congratulations to all!
Lifetime Achievement ... Read more
Each year, PCTA volunteers put in more than 90,000 hours maintaining the trail. Summer is the height of the volunteer season, so day, weekend, and even week-long projects deep in the backcountry are in full-swing. Here are some of the stories from the trail we’ve heard so far this summer.... Read more
In order to maintain remote sections of the Pacific Crest Trail far from the trailhead, Pacific Crest Trail Association volunteers often rely on volunteer horse packers to get tools and supplies in and out of backcountry camps.
But in the North Cascades, closures on feeder trails have made many remote ... Read more
After 55 volunteer crews from the PCTA’s Mount Hood Chapter put in nearly 5,000 hours, the Pacific Crest Trail and other nearby trails in the Columbia River Gorge are open to hikers for the first time since the Eagle Creek Fire erupted last fall.
“The work has seemed daunting at ... Read more
Welcome to the blog of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Check back often for news about the trail.