The natural world

Imagining the PCT in a changed climate

Editor’s note: The following article by Julio Araujo appeared in our Communicator magazine in 2017. We thought it was prescient, as aspects of the scenario the author predicted three years ago are happening now. On May 4, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officially shifted the baseline for “normal” ... Read more

Webinars: Botanical Tales of the Pacific Crest Trail

Five Tuesdays 7-8 pm | February 16th – March 16th, 2021 all sessions will be recorded

After two 2,650 mile thru-hikes botanizing the Pacific Crest Trail, Matt Berger shares both the extraordinary and everyday plants along each region of the trail in this 5-part webinar. This series of presentations will ... Read more

Mini guide: Notable trees in the Sierra along the PCT

By Dana York

During the summer between 11th and 12th grades, I trekked 800 miles of the PCT with a high school acquaintance. It was 1979, and we were armed with a stack of 15-minute topographic maps, a PCT guidebook and a pack as large as a Volkswagen! We started ... Read more

Announcing the 2018 Photo Contest Winners

1st Place – Thru-rider on Knife’s Edge by Clare Major

The majestic Pacific Crest Trail through the Goat Rocks Wilderness provides the backdrop for this year’s top photograph in the Pacific Crest Trail Association’s annual photo contest. Photographer Clare Major titled the picture “Thru-rider on Knife’s Edge,” but the image ... Read more