Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California. Jeffrey P. Schaffer

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      The organization is part of the legacy of Warren Rogers (the PCT itself is the other part). After the demise of the Pacific Crest Trail System Conference with the death of Clinton Clarke, Rogers in 1971 formed the Pacific Crest Club to be a “world-wide fellowship of persons interested in the PCT,” as his son, Don, put it. Then in 1977 he founded the Pacific Crest Trail Conference, which addressed the needs of both the trail and its users. But old age eventually interfered with running these organizations, so in 1987 the club was merged with the conference, and for several years Larry Cash was its chief officer. The conference campaigned against trailside clearcutting and against mountain bikes, and for additional water sources along the drier stretches and for volunteer trail maintenance. In 1992 the organization changed its name to the Pacific Crest Trail Association. The mailing address is 5325 Elkhorn Blvd., PMB 256, Sacramento, CA 95842-2526; phone is (916) 349-2109; e-mail is [email protected]; and Web is www.pcta.org. Increasingly, this organization has become active in coordinating volunteer trail maintenance. For example, in 2000 the PCTA coordinated trail crews that donated more than 20,000 hours of their time. For this reason alone the organization deserves support, and you should consider becoming a member. Most hikers and equestrians on any trail give little thought to trail maintenance. Indeed, many PCT trekkers complain about sections being not up to snuff. Without the volunteers, though, there would be far more to complain about, since, in these years of tight government budgets, trail maintenance is one of the lowest priorities. (Trail maintenance is ongoing locally, where erosion damages parts of the trail, fallen trees and rolling boulders obstruct it, and shrubs continually encroach upon it.)

      Pacific Crest Trail Association Registers in California, South to North

      Because the locations of PCTA registers are not always obvious, a list of them is presented below. These locations are subject to change, although most are quite stable, especially the sites that are post offices. Unless otherwise designated, the register is located in a post office, which at some places is just a tiny room in a store or a resort.

      Campo

      Mount Laguna

      Julian, Banner Store

      Warner Springs

      Anza

      Idyllwild

      Cabazon

      Big Bear City

      Fawnskin

      Wrightwood, Mountain Hardware

      Agua Dulce, Agua Dulce Hardware

      Tehachapi

      Mojave

      Onyx

      Kennedy Meadows, Kennedy Meadows Store

      Lone Pine

      Independence

      Vermilion Valley Resort, store

      Mammoth Lakes

      Tuolumne Meadows, concessionaire’s store

      Lee Vining

      Bridgeport

      Markleeville

      Soda Springs

      Sierra City

      Belden Town Resort, store

      Old Station

      Cassel

      McArthur–Burney Falls State Park, camper store

      Castella

      Seiad Valley, Seiad Valley Store

      Ashland (southern Oregon), Youth Hostel

      What services does the PCTA provide the potential trekker? In addition to answering your PCT letters, phone calls, and faxes, it publishes a bimonthly newsletter, The Communicator. While addressing general issues and timely matters, it provides informative accounts by those who have hiked or ridden much or all of the PCT. The Communicator also has a section on trip partners where people can post their background, experience, and what kind of partner they’d like. Through an agreement with the Forest Service, Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other agencies, the PCTA also provides wilderness permits for trips of 500 miles or more on the PCT (free to members, $5.00 for non-members). The association’s Web site contains hundreds of pages of information, including trip planning, current trail conditions, trip calculators, and more (including permit applications and links to other useful sites). Additionally, the PCTA maintains registers (see below) along or near the trail. These provide the organization with a list of who did what, relative degree of trail use, and annually and seasonally changing trail conditions and special problems. By signing these registers the backpacker over time develops a camaraderie with other trekkers. Although you may never catch up to those ahead of you, by trail’s end you may feel that you’ve come to know them. Finally, the PCTA has been making a concerted effort to lobby Congress for funds ($4.5 million by early 2001) to help acquire nearly 300 miles of private land, ensuring future generations of PCT users a protected corridor. Related to this are suggestions to government agencies on future reroutes to make the trail safer, more practical, or more scenic.

      American Long Distance Hikers Association-West (ALDHA-West)

      In 1993 Ray Jardine founded the Western States Chapter and also began publishing The Distance Hiker’s Gazette, a quarterly newsletter. After a couple of years, Ray left his organization, and a few of its members took it over and reorganized it. Its mission is to promote fellowship and communication among long-distance hikers, and those who support (but don’t necessarily do) long-distance hiking. As the association’s name implies, it is aimed at long-distance backpackers only (i.e., not dayhikers and equestrians). Although the association’s emphasis is on the Pacific Crest Trail, it also addresses relevant backpacking matters on other long trails or treks, not only in the western United States, but even overseas, and members hail from around the country, not just from the west. If you’re a long-distance hiker, there are at least two reasons to join the association: first, in The Distance Hiker’s Gazette there are good descriptions of various trails and routes, plus backpacking advice; and second, each fall they have the ALDHA-West Gathering, where one can find lots of camaraderie among distance hikers. To join the organization, write to ALDHA-West, Box 5286, Eugene, OR 97405, or visit its Web page at www.aldahawest.org.

      The vast majority of PCT trekkers are hikers, but there is fair use from equestrians on certain stretches. Occasionally an equestrian party will attempt to do the whole trail. This is more difficult than hiking, since horses don’t wear crampons and don’t cross logs over deep, raging streams. Consequently, it’s virtually impossible to do the whole trek in one long season without making serious diversions, such as skipping the High Sierra entirely or doing it later, after the snow has melted and streams are safe. Should you want to ride the entire trail without any diversions or leapfrogging, then do it over two or more summers, making sure you do the High Sierra between mid-July and mid-September (and Washington during August— before then there is too much snow, after then, too much chance of snowstorms). For help on planning your trip through California, contact the Backcountry Horsemen of California; for Oregon and Washington, start with the Backcountry Horsemen of America.

      Equestrians, you might do it while you can. Although the PCT is solely for hikers and equestrians, pressure is underway СКАЧАТЬ