Peterson surpasses 2,000-mark on PCT, pushing toward Mt. Hood, Cascade Locks
By Tom Peterson
It’s been all about Oregon since TDHS Grad Emily Peterson crossed the border on Aug. 9th after the McKinney Fire detoured the 23-year-old some 50 miles off of the Pacific Crest Trail in the last stretch of California.
Fizz, Micky D, Zombie or Emily Peterson and Sandals at the Oregon border on Aug. 9.
And it has not been easy - the planning that is, mostly because of fires and downright PCT fun.
The Hiking? It’s pretty much a cakewalk compared to the Sierra passes with their huge elevation gains. And Oregon is temperate compared to the hot California Desert.
And water in Oregon is abundant; no more 11- pound water carries, Peterson said.
That said, she has Christmas toes, meaning they will likely be a bit numb until Christmas. And sitting for too long can quickly pronounce the PCT hobble that most hikers show off after standing up.
But a lighter pack makes the miles much easier as they are averaging about 22 per day.
Peterson, also known as Zombie, and her 3 hiking partners - Sandals, Micky D and Fizz - recently surpassed the 2,000-mile mark on the 2,650-mile trail and are currently plodding their way toward Mount Hood.
Most of Oregon is in their rearview mirror.
Earlier in the month, she and her sister, Celia, were able to hike a day near Crater Lake back on Aug. 14.
After saying their farewells the next day, Zombie and Sandals hiked the rim of Crater Lake before making their way to Diamond Lake.
Long shadows, crystal blue water and skies made for a gorgeous hike around Crater Lake above.
At that point, the trail was closed because of threats from the Windingo Fire. The two hitched a ride from Highway 138 to Highway 97 and then onto Highway 58 where they were dropped off at Odell Lake.
Lighting strikes that week had lit off a bunch of smaller one- and two-acre blazes in the area. So, as they hiked toward Waldo Lake, the smoke came in at the end of the day.
But mostly, the scenery has been fantastic, as they hiked past Elk Lake and into the Three Sisters Wilderness with its dormant volcanoes hulking in the distance at more than 10,000 feet of elevation.
Dormant Volcanoes - Looking at South, Middle and North Sister in the Sisters Wilderness area.
They made their way along the foothills of South and Middle Sister and then camped at the base of North Sister.
Oregon has been a bit of a whirlwind tour for Peterson, who attended a bachelorette party by way of Bend earlier in the month and then shuttled for PCT Days in Cascade Locks on Aug. 19 and 20 last weekend.
Last Friday, Sandals and Zombie made their 10-mile hike from North Sister to McKenzie Pass near the Dee Wright Observatory on Highway 242.
Iron Giant and Capt. Fantastic
Along the way, they met hikers Iron Giant and Capt. Fantastic and asked if they wanted to carpool to Cascade Locks for the festivities. Videos from the Cascade Locks had surfaced, including a little crowd surfing. Their interest was piqued.
They arrived on Friday night to find Thunder Island mobbed with hundreds of tents and fellow hikers, and soon familiar faces started to emerge. They reunited with some they had hiked hundreds of miles with together, others just seen in camp or towns along the way. Double D, Patches, Stretch, Crocs, Flower Power, Quick Fix - they were all there.
Zombie and Stretch talk of times in the high Sierra earlier in the year.
Thunder Island in Cascade Locks was awash in tents and hikers on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 19 and 20 for PCT Days, an annual pilgrimage for hikers.
But in one giant mass of individuals at this gathering, there appeared to be a thread - long beards, light long-sleeved shirts, worn shoes, dirty clothes and a wander lust - not only for the trail and the scenery but for internal satisfaction, possibly peace, they could not find in asphalt, bricks and mortar.
On Saturday, Sandals, Zombie, Micky D and Fizz were reunited, and they agreed to strike out together from their stopping point on the Mckenzie Pass. Their first four miles of trail would be littered with softball-sized rock within the lava flow awaited them. Not easy on the ankles.
With a little luck, they should all be showing up in Cascade Locks sometime next week.
Strange, but Peterson said she could feel herself nearing the end.
She said Oregon and Washington were like smaller sections of California, and the completion of California was making her dream of touching the northern terminus in Canada in September all that more real.
