Bigfoot Trail Alliance Launches First Seasonal Trail Crew

This summer marks an exciting milestone for the Bigfoot Trail Alliance. For the first time in our organization’s history, we have launched a dedicated seasonal trail crew, significantly expanding our ability to restore and maintain trails throughout the Klamath Mountains.

For more than a decade, volunteers have been at the heart of our trail stewardship efforts. Together, they have reopened forgotten routes, removed thousands of downed trees, restored damaged tread, and helped keep some of California’s most spectacular wilderness trails accessible. While volunteers will always remain central to our mission, the addition of a seasonal crew allows us to build upon that foundation and accomplish more trail work than ever before.

This new capacity is made possible through Challenge Cost Share Agreements with the Six Rivers, Shasta-Trinity, and Klamath National Forests. These partnerships represent a shared commitment to caring for public lands and ensuring that trails remain open for recreation, stewardship, education, and connection to the natural world.

Throughout May to August, the crew will work six-day backcountry hitches across some of the most remote and beloved landscapes in the region. Project locations include:

• Little Doe Wilderness in the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness
• Upper Wooley Creek, Big Elk Lake, and Marble Valley in the Marble Mountain Wilderness
• Stuarts Gap to Robinson Creek in the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness
• Etna Summit to Little North Fork in the Marble Mountain Wilderness
• Packers Meadow to Fish Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness
• Forks of Blue in the Siskiyou Wilderness

Meet the Crew

The Bigfoot Trail Alliance seasonal crew brings together an impressive mix of trail builders, scientists, firefighters, hikers, and conservation professionals. Together, they share a passion for public lands, backcountry travel, and caring for the trails that connect people to the Klamath Mountains.

Ashley O’Bar joins the crew with extensive experience in trail construction, fuel reduction, and wildfire response through the California Conservation Corps and Redding Trail Alliance. An accomplished sawyer and trail worker, Ashley has helped build trails, construct bridges, respond to major California wildfires, and lead backcountry spike camps. She brings strong technical skills and a deep commitment to stewardship.

Sarah Brandt is a long-distance backpacker who has logged more than 7,000 miles on trails across the American West. A Treasurer for the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, Sarah combines a love for wilderness travel with experience in logistics, leadership, and outdoor work. She is excited to help care for the trails that have given so much to her.

Jack Christy is a graduate student in Biology at Cal Poly Humboldt studying plant communities and conifer ecology in the Klamath Mountains. Through his work with the California Native Plant Society and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, he has led remote field crews, conducted vegetation surveys throughout the region, and developed a deep knowledge of Klamath Mountain ecosystems.

Sebastian Evans just received his Master’s degree in Forestry, Wildland, and Watershed Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt. A former member of the Smokey Bear Interagency Hotshot Crew, Sebastian brings years of experience in wildfire management, chainsaw operations, ecological research, and wilderness leadership. His background spans forestry, botany, recreation management, and conservation fieldwork.

Dallas Morgan combines a background in biology, software engineering, forestry, and long-distance hiking. After earning a Biology degree from UC Berkeley and working for eight years as a software engineer, he returned to graduate school and is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Forestry at Cal Poly Humboldt. Dallas has hiked more than 10,000 miles, including two Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikes, the Continental Divide Trail, the Greater Patagonia Trail, and the Bigfoot Trail. He has also contributed research documenting wildfire impacts along the Bigfoot Trail corridor, helping us better understand the changing landscapes we work to steward.

Together, under the leadership of full-time Crew Leader Jacob Shinners, this crew represents a remarkable blend of skills, experience, and passion. We are excited to watch their accomplishments unfold over the summer as they restore trails, build partnerships, and help ensure these wild landscapes remain accessible.