The Martin D. Papendick award started in 2010 providing recognition for the outstanding Trail Angel(s) of the year.  The award is named for Martin who was the first person to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 1952.  When Martin came back from WWII, he wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) and completed that in 1951. Realizing that a few others had hiked the AT before him, he desired to do something no one had done before and heard about the fledgling efforts by Clinton Churchill Clark to establish the PCT. On July 4th, 1952 he leaves the Canadian border and reaches the Mexican border on Dec 1st, 1952. The story of his hike was never fully recognized. Only one article ever appeared in Appalachia Magazine called "Pacific Crest Trails", and the story was nearly lost until the late 1990’s when Dave Porter tracked down Martin and confirmed the story with him and his brother.

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Every year ALDHA-West seeks nominees that are active or past trail angles on the long distance trails of the West, this includes but is not limited to the PCT, CDT, PNT, AZT, GET, JMT, Hayduke Trail, etc.

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Past Recipients:

• 2024 - MJ "Purple Angel"

• 2023 - Alan and Nancy Hammond

• 2022 – Barney "Scout" and Sandy "Frodo" Mann

• 2021 – none because of COVID

• 2020 – none because of COVID

• 2019 – Carolyn "Ravensong" Burkart

• 2018 – Carole and Hugo Mumm

• 2017 – Andrea and Jerry Dinsmore

• 2016 – Joe and Terrie Anderson

• 2015 – Nita Larronde (Toaster House)

• 2014 – Edward “Meadow Ed” Faubert

• 2013 – Donna “L-Rod” and Jeff Saufley

• 2012 – Bill "AsABat" Jeffrey

• 2011 – Georgi "Fire Fly" Heightman

• 2010 – Barney "Scout" and Sandy "Frodo" Mann

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