Mark Larabee is the PCTA's Advocacy Director. He is the former editor of the "PCT Communicator" magazine and co-author of "The Pacific Crest Trail: Exploring America's Wilderness Trail" published in 2016. Larabee is a journalist, part of a team who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for The Oregonian newspaper. He hiked the PCT across Oregon for a 2005 series for the paper and has been with PCTA since 2010. He lives in Portland.
For more than a decade, I’ve been traveling with a Pacific Crest Trail Association delegation every February to the nation’s capital to advocate for trails, robust agency budgets and legislation affecting public lands. This annual sojourn is called “Hike the Hill” and it’s been happening for more than 20 years. ... Read more
The work of Pacific Crest Trail Association volunteers is a sight to behold.
There’s no better feeling than traveling on a recently maintained section of trail. It reminds me of the thousands of volunteers who dedicate tens of thousands of hours of sweat and muscle to keep the trail open ... Read more
Moving south on the PCT through the Mojave Desert, hikers close in on a massive obstacle: the north slope of the iconic San Gabriel Range. These high mountains above the wild desert also frame the Los Angeles Valley on their southern flank. Winter snowpacks provide drinking water for millions of ... Read more
Oregon lawmakers allocated $6 million to support engineering studies focused on preservation and seismic resiliency for the Bridge of the Gods, the official route of the Pacific Crest Trail across the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.
The March 7 vote is a significant step toward safeguarding the iconic, nearly ... Read more
Hike the Hill 2024: Taking our message to Congress
The Pacific Crest Trail Association’s most public face comes in the form of the incredible efforts volunteers make to maintain the trail. Crew members from all walks of life and communities coming together to do back-breaking work in scenic landscapes ... Read more
The Bridge of the Gods is an iconic crossing over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It’s also the official route of the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association and the Port of Cascade Locks, ... Read more
In the face of ever-increasing wildfire threats and a changing climate, the iconic Giant Sequoia groves of the Sierra Nevada are in the crosshairs.
“Six of the seven largest wildfires in California history have occurred in the past two years, and in that period, up to nearly one fifth of ... Read more
In early summer, we usually start making plans for an August backpacking trip. From our home in Portland, Oregon, we’re within striking distance of many great alpine and wilderness walks on the PCT, in the Wallowa Range of eastern Oregon or in the jagged peaks of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.
But ... Read more
Welcome to the blog of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Check back often for news about the trail.