[pct-l] Looking for Trail Stories

[rrh1 at humboldt.edu]

“Your Trail Stories Wanted for Publication”

As another season on the PCT winds down, we would like to encourage you to
spend a little of the upcoming winter months writing about your
experiences on the trail for a broader audience.  My co-editor, Corey
Lewis, and I are looking for submissions to a two-volume anthology
tentatively titled Tales for the Trail: The Pacific Crest Trailside
Reader.  The heart of the collection, will be real trail tales, from real
PCT section and thru-hikers, like yourselves. We are looking for stories
taken from hiking the trail itself: tales of trailside humor or
traditions, “trail angels” (e.g., Jeff and Donna Saufley in Agua Dulce),
"trail magic",  or encounters with wildlife and wild weather; Stories of
being lost, or found, of well-known trail hazards or favorite places to
stop: From swimming in the granite-rimmed lakes of Desolation Wilderness,
or soaking in Iva Bell Hot Springs in the central Sierra to the Seiad
Valley “pancake challenge”.  Although limited in number, we hope to
include some images, both photography and illustrations, in the
collection, and welcome original submissions for illustrations as well. 
We began this process about a year ago but need many more submissions to
complement those we have received.

We are looking for well-written pieces, and may require further revision
or edit submissions that are chosen for inclusion. We are after a
diversity of pieces that reflect the wide range of experiences to be had
along the length of the trail. These need to be real experiences, not
fictional accounts, but should be crafted for publication and literary
quality. We are unable to pay authors for their contributions (this is a
labor of love!), we hope that lovers of the PCT will enjoy seeing their
words immortalized in print and relish the chance to bring a few
trail-side experiences to those who haven’t witnessed the wonder of the
PCT yet.

We believe that putting these tales in print will do much to promote the
continued protection and careful management of the trail itself and the
places it passes through. And as all PCT hikers know, the trail impacts us
just as surely as we affect it; we hope these stories will share and
convey that experience to others. Corey Lewis, author of Reading the
Trail: Exploring the Literature and Natural History of the California
Crest, has been hiking and leading University classes on, as well as
building sections of, the California section of the PCT for over 10 years.
I first walked the Washington PCT in 1981 with “Rocky” and “Pierre”, now
known as Team Geezer, and have been walking the PCT as family and work
allow ever since.  I just returned ten days ago from section hiking the
Seiad Valley - Ashland segment.   We hope you will join us in this effort
to bring some of the power of the Pacific Crest Trail to others. Please
share your stories with us and pass this call for submissions on to your
fellow hikers and writers.

Please send your complete submission, along with a 1 page cover letter
listing your complete contact information and describing, the precise
place on the trail your story occurred, and your background or experience
with either the PCT or environmental writing, to me as follows:
- submissions should range from 1,000-2,000 words
- art and photography submissions should be sent in jpeg format
- put PCT Reader and your name in the subject heading of the email
- attach your complete submission as separate document, in MS Word format
- your cover letter may be part of the email, or a separate document,
either is fine.
- send submissions to Rees Hughes rrh1 at humboldt.edu

Questions welcome!

Rees Hughes
1660 Brigid Lane
Arcata, California 95521
707.826.0163