Rocking out on the Pacific Crest Trail

Pacific Southwest Region
1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 94592


Contacts: Jay Watson (SCA) (510) 435-7937; John Heil, U.S. Forest Service (707) 562-9004
“Rocking out on the Pacific Crest Trail”
Technical rock skills and trail building workshops

Mount San Jacinto State Park, Calif., Sep. 09, 2009—The Student Conservation Association (SCA), in partnership with the United States Forest Service, Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA), and California State Parks will host three workshops to teach sophisticated rock and trail building skills along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail in the Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness in September 2009.

The workshops will concentrate on providing training in technical rock skills through the construction of a rock staircase, individual rock steps, and stacked rock retaining walls along switchback sections of the trail. Additional instruction will be provided in proper body positioning, tool use, mechanical advantage, and principles of elementary physics principles to safely build trail structures with large rocks. Wilderness risk management, Leave No Trace work skills, and camping techniques will also be taught.

The workshops will be presented in three separate sessions running Thursday — Sunday.
1st Session: Thursday September 10 — Sunday September 13
2nd Session: Thursday September 17 — Sunday September 20
3rd Session: Thursday September 24 — Sunday September 27

SCA will have five seasoned pros leading these workshops; including a lead instructor, three assistant instructors, and a cook. SCA, the PCTA, and U.S. Forest Service will provide group kitchen gear, tools, and equipment, and all meals during the workshops.

Organizations sending people to the workshops include: California Conservation Corps, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, California State Parks, U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Crest Trail Association, the Boy Scouts of America, San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders, and Volunteers for Outdoor California.

Site visits for photos and interviews are welcome and easily arranged.
About the Student Conservation Association

SCA is America’s conservation corps. As the organization that defined youth conservation service, the SCA has been the nation’s leader in the field of conservation service and career training for more than 52 years. SCA remains unwaveringly dedicated to connecting young people of every background to the land around them and instilling a modern ethic of stewardship and citizenship to help guide a diverse, new generation.