[pct-l] Why California’s Trails Are Disappearing From Our Maps

[Ken Murray]

I would be very surprised to see the PCT become a trail that "no one knows was there" ... as suggested in the article above ....

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To be sure, the PCT, as a National Scenic Trail, has special recognition and even funding for maintenance. It will get maintenance, when nothing else will.
Having said that, I point to the mention made in the article, which was the section from the first bridge north of Kennedy Meadows (s), past the swallow bridge, to the intersection with the Olancha Pass Trail. Even though this is the PCT, it is used by very few people other than the thrus. No volunteers had adopted the section, and no one had done any work for over 10 years, because the professional trail maintainers are GONE. Reading trip reports by hikers, there were numerous statements that they could not find the trail, or that the trail petered out....particularly in Cow Canyon.
The High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew was recruited to work the section, and it ended up being the usual USFS "bag job". It was represented as "maintenance", but was, in reality "reconstruction" and "rescue." As mentioned, it took a crew of 15, 2 hours to FIND the trail from 100 yards away. I was there. The trail was so overgrown, in some places the trail was totally obscured by brush. I thought it was a game trail, and did not believe it was the PCT until I saw a marker that had been placed 10 years before. Kennedy Meadows "Tom" spent the week with us clearing. It took us a week to do nothing except clear brush on about 1 mile.
But be of good cheer. The section heading north of the Olancha Pass lateral has not yet been cleared, and at least one group scouting got lost in the brush, and came back with their legs ripped to shreds by the whitethorn. So maybe everyone will have a chance to experience a section of unmaintained trail, even yet!