A friend, Steve Salzman, sent this photo from his visit to the Sedona area. When we walk on a trail, like the PCT, it is worth appreciating all that went into its construction and maintenance. The countless hours that often go into the preparation, the routing, the staging of tools and materials, and construction of a trail . . . all so that we can walk on it (often months and years later).
I'm involved in trail building and maintenance in Northern California as a volunteer. What an education it has been! I'm increasingly appreciative of the 'crib log' that has been positioned to support a section of trail or the purposeful effort made to build a trail that manages the corrosive effect of water or the work required to brush a trail.
(Photo by Clare Major . . . along the PCT in Hoover Wilderness)
Walking on a section of the PCT that is in real harmony with nature is such a treasure . . . one that we often do not appreciate or even notice. Take a little extra time on your next trail walk to honor what lies beneath your feet.
Bob Birkby has written eloquently on this theme in Crossing Paths and in The Pacific Crest Trailside Reader: Oregon and Washington.
