Original Pacific Crest Trail System Signs

I hit the motherlode today.  In the midst of traveling back from Washington state, when I met a hiker, named Will, who did the Pacific Crest Trail back in 1998.  We had a conversation over breakfast, and he invited me to come back to his place, as I had a couple hours to kill before my bus arrived.

When we arrived at Will's place, he said that he had something for me, and he pulled down a light blue shoebox, and on the front of it were the words "PCT Signs" scribbled with a black Sharpie. He pulled out a diagonal sign, with an evergreen tree in the middle, and the words, "Pacific Crest Trail System" bordering the diamond shape. I recognized the sign as I've seen a few old rusty ones like it engulfed by bark on trees.  The sign was wrapped in wax paper, and looked authentic, but I assumed that it was a replica.

I was grateful for the gift, and I asked how he got these replicas. "They're original," he said.

Amazed, I asked "What?"

"Yeah," he responded, "when I was in the Forest Service, I found these in a dumpster. A forest service employee had simply discarded them, and I rescued them."

I couldn't believe it, as he had a lot of these signs.

Apparently, Will releases one sign a year on eBay, and he said that they usually sell for about $60-100.  He said that he'd rather not sell them all at once, so he doesn't flood the market.

With Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kickoff (ADZPCTKO) coming up on April 26-29, I made the bold move, and asked him if he might consider donating a few to the Silent Auction.

"Sure," he said.

So, I grabbed two signs, and immediately emailed Carl and Jan Siechert with the news.

Today was one of those days where I happened to be in the right place at the right time.  Now, I hold a piece of history of the trail that I love so much. Thanks Will for the gift, and being a trail angel off the trail. You rock!