Barney Scout Mann is author of Rizzoli's The Pacific Crest Trail, which Backpacker magazine named Coffee Table Book of the Year. Mann's articles have appeared in Backpacker, The Oregonian, and the New York Times online. The New York Times calls him the unofficial historian of the trail. He thru-hiked the Continental Divide Trail in 2015. He was the chair of the Pacific Crest Trail Association's board of directors from 2012 to 2015 and now serves on the board of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times since 2001, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who writes op-ed columns that appear twice a week. He is an avid backpacker who is section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with his family.
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) is the national nonprofit working to protect, promote, and preserve the Continental Divide Trail. The CDTC's mission is to complete, promote, and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. The CDTC does this by building a strong and diverse trail community, providing up-to-date information to the public, and encouraging conservation and stewardship of the Trail, its corridor, and surrounding landscapes.