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!
3 comments:
That is so cool, a really unique and wonderful memory!
Cool, except found in a dumpster or not, selling of USFS signs perpetuates theft of other signs.
I think you bring up a very valid point. Certainly the hope is that the trail community has enough respect to leave existing signs where they belong. It seems that most of the old signs I see on the trail are enveloped by the trees bark, that one would need a special tool to dig them out.
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