WHEREAS, This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Pacific Crest Trail’s designation as a National Scenic Trail; and

WHEREAS, The Pacific Crest Trail is one of the original two National Scenic Trails in the nation, along with the Appalachian Trail, that were designated by the National Trails System Act of 1968, a bipartisan act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 2, 1968; and

WHEREAS, A trail between Mexico and Canada along the western mountains was first proposed by Clinton C. Clarke in 1932, and thanks to the dedicated work of many thousands of volunteers, the Pacific Crest Trail route was officially completed in 1993; and

WHEREAS, The Pacific Crest Trail spans 2,650 miles (4,265 kilometers) from the Mexican border near Campo, California, to the Canadian border near Boundary Monument 78 in Washington, and generally runs along the high crests of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, crossing diverse landscapes in California, Oregon, and Washington; and

WHEREAS, The trail extends 1,692 miles through some of the most beautiful and wild parts of California and passes through 5 California state parks, 15 California State Assembly districts, and 11 California State Senate districts, as well as national forests, national parks, national wilderness areas, national monuments, and private properties; and

WHEREAS, The trail is open to the public for foot and equestrian travel, and more than 5,000 thru-hikers have completed the trail in a single trip, which can take 4 to 6 months to complete; and

WHEREAS, The management and protection of the trail is the responsibility of a partnership between the United States Forest Service and the Pacific Crest Trail Association, along with many other federal, state, and local agencies, and countless volunteers devoted to maintaining and managing the trail for all to enjoy a closeness with nature; now, therefore, be it