Pacific Crest Trail Class Bandana 2019

Linda Jeffers (Gottago), John Brennan (Cupcake), and Jackie McDonnell (Yogi) met during their 2002 Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) thru-hike.  After the hike, Gottago reflected on all the kindness she received from strangers along the way. Linda wanted to pay back that kindness by paying forward to future hikers. Linda’s vision was to create a memento which hikers would use and cherish.

Gottago contacted Cupcake and Yogi, and the team was created! Very quickly, they realized that an at-a-glance PCT mileage resource would be essential, then quickly after they realized that putting the current years’ data on a bandana would be useful, handy, and a great relic to hikers: Data, Function, and Funk!

The three trail friends got to work: Yogi provided the data, Cupcake created the design, and Gottago funded the bandanas. It worked! The PCT Class of 2003 got the first edition of PCT Class Bandanas: 100% cotton custom-printed bandanas which change from year to year and are gifted to thru-hikers.

The bandanas quickly became a rite of passage as well as a valuable tool for PCT thru-hikers. For 16 years, from 2003 to 2018, Linda paid for all those gifted bandanas. Sixteen years is a long time for Linda to be such an amazing Trail Angel! Now, in 2019, Linda has decided to step away from the bandana project and focus on her family.

We (John and Jackie) would really like to see Linda’s tradition continue! We are reaching out to hikers past, present, and future to help us keep Linda’s “pay it forward” bandana project going for years to come! This year, we are going with a different funding model to continue the tradition: the number of free bandanas gifted to this year’s hikers will be solely determined by bandana sales, pre-sales, and donations.

Donations to this project will be used to provide gifted bandanas to PCT Class of 2019. As in past years, while supplies last, 2019 northbound thru-hikers will dance for their gifted bandanas at the Andersons, and 2019 southbound thru-hikers will pick up their bandanas at the Dinsmores. Any leftover funds will be carried over to 2020.

Northbounders are already on the trail, and we cannot order the bandanas until they are paid for, so if you can donate, please do so ASAP! You will put a smile on the faces of those lucky souls who are hiking the PCT in 2019.