by Ralph Salisbury on 2015-12-22

On Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 the San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club will have their monthly meeting at the San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands at 7:30 p.m. Join us as Teddi Boston, the first female thru-hiker to complete the Pacific Crest Trail, presents a program of stories and photographs titled: “Pacific Crest Trail Firsts”. In 1976 at the age of 49, Teddi was the first female thru-hiker (someone who hikes a long distance trail from the beginning to end) to complete the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) traveling north to south. She started at the Canadian border and ended at the Mexican Border saying she did it the reverse to the usual direction because she was told it was impossible. Teddi started backpacking in the San Bernardino Mountains in the 1960s when two of her daughters were in Girl Scouts. In 1972 she took eight girls on a full John Muir Trail hike (a 215 mile trail from Yosemite to Mount Whitney). During that trip she met her first PCT thru-hiker and started planning her hike once she returned home. Saving up sick time and taking a leave from work she started her hike on May 1, 1976. The first few weeks of her hike were spent walking on the frozen crust of snow until mid-morning when she had to shift to snowshoes. A compass and map guided her for the first month because snow covered all of the trail markers. Teddi is currently the volunteer coordinator for the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association and a resident of Landers. All are welcome to attend the meeting Parking and admission are free but donations are accepted for room rental. The San Bernardino County Museum is located: 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, CA 92374. Exit California Street from I-10 Freeway in Redlands. The San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club covers the geographic area of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.