Life on the PCT

Before becoming an environmental lawyer at Anderson & Kreiger, Libby Bowker worked in the woods: She led a backcountry trail crew repairing remote sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada on the West Coast. Days were filled with mountains, dirt and, occasionally, bears.

For weeks at a time, Bowker’s team hiked through large stretches of wilderness to otherwise-inaccessible parts of the trail, where they cleared fallen trees, built drainage structures and repaired trail surfaces. Power tools are largely prohibited in wilderness areas, so they often used basic tools like crosscut saws, pick mattocks and pulaskis. 

Teamwork and organization were crucial. Before each hitch, her team would plan and pack meals, tools and supplies, and use topographic maps to identify medevac landing zones. Gear for weeks of work and rain-or-shine camping is heavy; Bowker’s team often relied upon local horse packers, whose teams of mules and horses carried heavy cargo long distances through rough terrain. 

To keep her team’s spirits up, she orchestrated some trail magic, including throwing a toga party and lugging a watermelon 20 miles for a surprise treat. “We had to plan meticulously and be resourceful, but also ensure we had enough fun to make the hard work worth it,” Bowker says. 

Another thing that made the hard work worth it: seeing some of the most remote and stunning landscapes in the country. Between work assignments, Bowker picked up glacial mountaineering and climbed several volcanoes in the Cascades, including Mount Adams, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. 

While practicing environmental law looks a little different than running a trail crew, some things remain the same: “Organization, creative problem solving, and teamwork are still part of my everyday life,” Bowker says. “And so is the occasional watermelon.”