Friday, August 19th
10:30 – 11:30am: Cascade Locks Clean-Up. Join Granite Gear, HOKA ONE and the Grounds Keepers as they give back to Cascade Locks with a town clean up! Meet at the Post Office (461 NW Wanapa St, Cascade Locks). Gloves and garbage bags are provided. Participants get great swag and 5 tickets for the raffle on Saturday. Please bring water and sun protection.
1 pm: PCT DAYS Day 1 Opens! The gate will open at 1pm so you can kick off your PCT DAYS experience by visiting sponsor’s booths as the Gear Demo and Marketplace gets started. Hundreds of products will be on display and sponsors will be offering great deals! Don’t miss the great lineup of booth activities and presentations! No early birds, you’ll need to wait until 1pm to enter the area since sponsors and event staff need time to set up. In the meantime, hang out at your camp, in town, or go for a hike!
1 – 6 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by the Cascade Locks Tourism Committee: Spin to Win. Visit the Cascade Locks Tourism Committee booth and Spin-to-Win on our Schwinn Bike wheel-of-fortune. Everyone is a winner! Come chat with committee members and learn more about all the great things to see and do in Cascade Locks, the heart of the gorge.
1 – 6 pm: Repair Booth hosted by Rainy Pass Repair and Rugged Thread. Got holes in your pack or did your buckles get cracked? If you are a 2022 PCT Thru-hiker, stop by the repair booth to get your gear repaired at no cost!
1 – 2 pm: GOOD TO-GO and Jetboil Trail Magic Lunch. Kick off PCT Days with lunch from Good To-Go and Jetboil! We’ve teamed up to spread a little trail magic for our extended PCT family. Swing by the booth and grab a delicious meal, on us. See you there!
1:30 – 2 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Prana – Camping Competition. How quickly can you set-up a camp site? Stop by the prAna Booth to learn the skills from our friends at Post 58. You’ll then put those newfound skills to the test to earn a free raffle drawing entry. All weekend long, enter a raffle drawing for a chance to win prAna merch! $2/ticket. Proceeds benefit Post 58, Youth Mountaineering.
2 – 3 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) Author Christine Reed – Life Post Trail. Topics include: How to reintegrate without losing your trail self. Shaping your post-trail life to align with body, mind, and soul. Tips and tricks to ease the transition and keep the trail spark alive and well.
2:30 – 3 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Sawyer: Sammies and Squeezes. Swing by the Sawyer Booth for (Ice Cream) Sammies and (Sawyer) Squeezes at 3pm on Friday! We’ll test your trivia game with lots of gear/swag and toss out ice cream sandwiches to anyone joining the party. Come on by!
3:30 – 4 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Salomon: 75 Years of Salomon Celebration! From its beginning in the French Alps in 1947, Salomon has been deeply rooted in a love for innovating and making waves within the Outdoor industry. This year, the most athletic outdoor brand will celebrate it’s 75th anniversary. To commemorate years of success and play within the outdoors, please join Salomon at (time/date) for games, contests, giveaways, and more. There will also be Cornhole and Kan Jam bracketed tournaments. To sign up for tournaments specifically, please visit the Salomon booth prior to the celebration. Prizes include hiking shoes, apparel, and branded swag. Did we mention there will be cake?! All are welcome, hope to see you there!
3:30 – 4:30: Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) Friends of the Owyhee – The West’s Forgotten Corner: How Outdoor Recreation in the Owyhee Canyonlands Parlays into Conservation Advocacy. Conservation is often deemed inaccessible to conservative demographics due to political differences. Friends of the Owyhee, a small non-profit based in eastern Oregon, is determined to subvert that notion through inclusive grassroots efforts. The Owyhee—a high-desert bioregion in southeastern Oregon, southwestern Idaho, and northern central Nevada—is revered for its fascinating geological history, rich cultural tapestry, and untrammeled wilderness. It’s also surrounded by rural, conservative communities that have been historically resistant to participating in conservation efforts. Friends of the Owyhee contends that responsible recreation opportunities can act as a gateway to interacting with ecological and cultural conservation and becoming a conservation advocate, regardless of political affiliation.
4:30 – 5 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Mystery Ranch: Load Transfer and Carry Clinic. At Mystery Ranch, how the load transfers and carries – over the long haul – is our #1 consideration.” As Dana Gleason (our charismatic, mad-scientist founder) says, “Some of our best ideas are born of fascinating problems.” Get firsthand knowledge from Dana at the MYSTERY RANCH booth for this session to understand the importance of load carriage, fundamental design ingenuity, and load-bearing solutions that differentiate our backpacks from the others in the market and solutions for how this enhances your outdoor experience. MYSTERY RANCH® – BUILT FOR THE MISSION®
5 – 6 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) Headline Sponsor The Pacific Crest Trail Association: Managing the Trail for a Changing Future. The PCTA protects and maintains the PCT in collaboration with many partner agencies and organizations. Come learn more about the PCTA—including our history, our work, how we’re adapting to a changing future, and how you can help. You’ll hear about managing the trail, land protection, conservation, wildfire impacts, and more. Presented by PCTA’s Columbia-Cascades Regional Representative Jeanine Russell and Director of Philanthropy Angie Williamson.
7 – 9 pm: PCT DAYS Kick Off Party – To be Announced Soon!
Saturday, August 20th
8 am: SCARPA Guided Trail Run. Meet at the SCARPA booth, grab some demo shoes and hit the trail! From there you will run a combination of road and trail to the picturesque Dry Creek Falls viewpoint and back to PCT DAYS. This is not a race, so we’ll keep the pace conversational, inclusive and fun! All participants that try a paid of demo shoes will be entered in a raffle for a one of a kind SCARPA xDeuter collaboration backpack. One lucky participant from the morning run will receive a gift certificate for a free pair of SCARPA running shoes!
8:30 am: PCT DAYS Day 2 Opens! Please wait until 8:30 am to start visiting sponsor booths so they have time to brush off the dust, have breakfast, and get ready for for an awesome day. Hundreds of products will be on display and sponsors will be offering great deals at the Gear Demo and Marketplace! Don’t miss the great lineup of booth activities, presentations and the raffle!
8:30 am – 5 pm: Ticket Sales for the Raffle at 5:30 pm. $2 per ticket. Must be present to win or have someone present with your ticket to win. Head to the PCTA & ALDHA-WEST booths to get your tickets and don’t miss this raffle…there will be nearly $10,000.00 in products to win! All proceeds are donated and split 50/50 to the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West.
8:30 am – 5 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by the Cascade Locks Tourism Committee: Spin to Win. Visit the Cascade Locks Tourism Committee booth and Spin-to-Win on our Schwinn Bike wheel-of-fortune. Everyone is a winner! Come chat with committee members and learn more about all the great things to see and do in Cascade Locks, the heart of the gorge.
8:30 am – 5 pm: Repair Booth hosted by Rainy Pass Repair and Rugged Thread. Got holes in your pack or did your buckles get cracked? If you are a 2022 PCT Thru-hiker, stop by the repair booth to get your gear repaired at no cost!
9:30 – 10 am: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by ULA: Equipment Ultra Raffle. Ready to be the envy of all your hiker friends? We’re giving away ALL NEW GEAR and even a CUSTOM ULA pack of YOUR CHOICE made out of our new ULTRA material! These things are bomb proof and we even give a lifetime guarantee to prove it! Come by the ULA-Equipment booth to enter and come say hi! You don’t want to miss this!
9:30 – 10:30 am: Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) Greater Hells Canyon Council – Hiking the Blue Mountains Trail. The Blue Mountains Trail is a 530-mile long distance hiking route that will take you deep into the mountains, forests, rivers, ecosystems, and communities of Northeast Oregon. The route links all seven of Northeast Oregon’s wilderness areas, requires no new trails to be built, limits road walks and bushwhacks, and connects hikers to the communities of Joseph, Troy, Tollgate, La Grande, Sumpter, Austin Junction, and John Day with ties to more nearby towns. The trail is big on solitude, challenging terrain, diverse intact landscapes, and connections to outdoors-friendly rural communities. This presentation provides an in-depth view of the trail, the logistics involved in planning a full thru-hike or section hike, and information on how hikers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts can get involved in building a world-class route in the rugged Blues.
10:30 – 11 am: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Outdoor Research. Join the team over at the Outdoor Research booth for some “product-inspired” summertime yard games and a chance to win a full head-to-toe hiking kit for two!
11 am – 12 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) The Open Fences Project -Hosted by Gregory Mountain Products and Air Force Veteran Matthew Landis. We invite you to join Air Force Veteran and two-time PCT hiker Matthew Landis in a discussion about physical and mental health after the trail. This event will also be the kick-off for the Open Fences Project – a community where Veterans can remain connected off-trail. Gregory Mountain Products will be co-hosting with their ambassador Matthew and will be at the event to support and encourage the PCT community. landisadventurephotography.com & openfences.org.
12 – 1 pm: Title Sponsor Presentation by Next Adventure: Hike Our Own Hike – A Panel on Equity and Access in the Outdoors at the Stage. Next Adventure is hosting a panel featuring change makers and advocates for equitability in the outdoors. Panelists will discuss their own experiences and identify steps for growth and transformation towards an inclusive outdoor community. Panelists will answer questions from Next Adventure, and there will be opportunity for a few audience questions. Timeline: 0-10 minutes: Introduction, and a description of the organizations or initiatives that panelist is involved in. 11-20 minutes: Question 1: Tell us about a meaningful experience you’ve had in the outdoors this year! 21-30 minutes: Question 2: What change or transformation in the outdoor industry and community is most urgent to you? 31-45 minutes: Audience questions?
1 – 1:30 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Fjallraven: Cookout with Primus. Food is a vital part of life, both on and off the trail. Whether you’re doing a quick overnight solo trip or camping multiple days with friends and family, you want food that will nourish and strengthen you, and also taste really good. Practice preparing tasty, fresh and nutritious meals designed for sustained outdoor activity with Fjällräven.
1 – 2 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) Gillian Larson – How to Hoof It on the PCT: The Unique Challenges of Equestrian Travel. Have you ever wondered what the trail would be like with four legs rather than two? Gillian Larson, aka “Thru-rider,” who is in the process of her third Mexico-to-Canada journey on the PCT, shares her unique perspective of traveling the PCT with her equine partners. From ensuring adequate nutrition and hoof care, to the logistics of resupplying and monitoring snow conditions, to navigating obstacles and finding appropriate campsites and water on trail, equestrians face special considerations that can make a thru-ride of the PCT particularly daunting.
2 – 2:30 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Hyperlite – Win a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Full Kit! Who’s excited for PCT Days?! We sure are, and we’re looking forward to seeing you! This year, we’ll be raffling off a kit that will get any high-mileage backpacker giddy! One lucky winner will receive an UltaMid 2 pyramid shelter, a Southwest pack, and our all-new 40-Degree Quilt! You’ll also have a chance to win each one of these items individually as well! Swing by our booth to enter via a digital form, and be present at 2:30 to win!
3 – 3:30 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Chaco: Make your own custom creation. Join us to help Reduce, Reuse, ReChaco and Remix. Make your own custom creation at the Chaco Booth from your favorite repurposed webbing and walk out of here feeling great about doing your part. It’s no secret our shoes are built to last. But did you know we’d repair your well-trodden pair when the time comes? It’s one way we practice sustainability. But today, we’re reducing waste and another way by taking out webbing scraps and turning them into your own work of art.
3 – 4 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion (indoor seating.) Liz “Snorkel” Thomas’ Author Talk – Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike. Not sure how to go from dreaming of the PCT to making your hike a reality? In this approachable take on distance hiking, celebrated thru-hiker Liz Thomas will share stories from her new book, the National Outdoor Book Award winning Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike. With real-life stories from dozens of trails including the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails, Liz showcases expert tips by experienced hikers from all backgrounds. Part-story-telling, part how-to, this talk includes topics such as: safety, hygiene, gear, nutrition, staying in good graces with family and friends on-and-off trail, and finding the time and money to hike for weeks or months. Stick around for a Q&A as well as a book signing with the author.
4 – 4:30 pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity by Granite Gear: What’s-Your-Trail-Name Raffle and Gear Giveaway. Swing by the GG Booth on anytime Friday or Saturday before 4:30 pm to get entered into Granite Gear’s largest raffle yet! 30 minutes of pure gear giving away! Simply stop by and pick up your “Trail Name” sticker and drop your name in the hat. It’s that easy! Participants must be wearing the corresponding Trail Name sticker at time of event and present to win.
4:30 – 5:30 pm: Title Sponsor Backpacker Magazine’s Get Out More Tour Presentation at the Stage. Join Alex, Julia and Randy from Backpacker’s Get Out More Tour for an informative and inspiring conversation covering current events in the backpacking world. From gear talk, to trail etiquette, to the life altering impact of hiking long distances, this engaging look at all things backpacking is not to be missed. Bonus: Prizes, Prizes and more Prizes!
5:30 – 6:30 pm: The PCT DAYS Gear Raffle at the Stage. There will be a LOT of great products to win and lot’s of laughs as Scott “Squatch” Herriott and the PCT DAYS Event Director, Jason “Nabor J” Waicunas MC the activity. Raffle tickets are $2.00 each and will be available for sale on Saturday only. Must be present to win or have someone present with your tickets. Raffle proceeds support the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West and the Pacific Crest Trail Association.
7:30 – 9 pm: To Be Announced!
Sunday, August 21st
9 am – 12 pm: PCT DAYS is over – Event Site Breakdown.
All sponsor booths and attendee tents must be taken down on Thunder Island by 11am. Please practice Leave No Trace and clean up your camp area by disposing waste in the proper receptacles. Thank you for attending, safe travels and please join us next year for the 16th annual PCT DAYS on August 18 & 19, 2023!
