TL;DR – Hikers want PCT Class Bandanas. Custom bandanas are expensive. Please donate!

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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! In 2019, Linda stepped away from the bandana project to focus on her family.



We (John and Jackie) couldn’t let Linda’s bandana tradition die! In 2019 we used a GoFundMe campaign to collect donations for 2019 bandanas. Our GoFundMe in 2019 paid for about 2/3 of the bandanas gifted to 2019 hikers, but it wasn’t enough. We personally covered the additional cost which was not funded by donations.



Unfortunately, we do not have extra cash this year. We are reaching out to hikers past, present, and future to help! It’s simple: If everyone who received a gifted bandana in the past could donate $5, we would have more than enough to cover the costs of the 2020 bandanas. Obviously, not everyone will donate. If you are able to make a large donation, we would be forever grateful. Could you spare $25?



We hope to raise enough money in 2020 to gift free bandanas to all 2020 PCT’ers. Bandanas will be available at Triple Crown Outfitters in Kennedy Meadows (northbound 702.2, southbound 1950.4).



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 2020.

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