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.
The brush was so thick in places it was a green tunnel that was nearly impassable. It gets that way every three or four years in the most troublesome places in Southern California, where abundant sunlight, heat and a little rain conspire to turn the low mountains into a greenhouse.... Read more
The PCT is a photographer’s dream. Our annual photo contest proves it year after year. This year’s photos are amazing. I hope you enjoy the slide show.
Whether or not your photo was recognized, know this: we use photos submitted to the contest to promote the PCT and the PCTA’s ... Read more
A new U.S. Forest Service program designed to improve visitor experiences along the southernmost 100 miles of the PCT is underway.
As thru-hikers head out, two “Crest Runners” are patrolling the trail from the Mexican border to Warner Springs, providing information and encouraging positive trail experiences for hikers, horseback riders ... Read more
This year’s class of PCT thru-hikers will have to find a new place to stop and rest after descending the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles. Hiker Heaven, the Agua Dulce oasis that is woven into nearly two decades of PCT lore, is no longer an option.
Trail Angel ... Read more
Megan Wargo became the PCTA’s first Land Protection Director on Jan. 26 and will oversee the expansion of a program dedicated to protecting the landscape and trail miles that are still held by private landowners.
Megan’s hiring, funded by a generous private donation to PCTA, is in line with PCTA’s ... Read more
Southern California PCT enthusiasts gathered Saturday, Jan. 17, for the second Trail Dirt Live event.
Held at the Angeles National Forest Supervisor’s offices in Arcadia, PCTA members, volunteers, board members and staff got together to talk about the trail, the state of PCTA and to honor a couple of special ... Read more
“Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die.” – Babe Ruth in the Sandlot
His gait, the incredible distance between his boots, gave 6-foot, 9-inch Greg Hummel the trail name “Strider” when he thru-hiked the PCT in 1977. Legend has it that nobody could ... Read more
The Pacific Crest Trail is stunningly beautiful. Every year thousands of fantastic photos are taken of the trail. Many of the pictures we’ll publish in 2015 will be selected from those entered in the PCTA’s annual photo contest.
Do you have photographs that would look great on the cover of ... Read more
Welcome to the blog of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Check back often for news about the trail.