Still Truckin’: TD Grad surpasses 1,000 mile mark on Pacific Crest Trail; Parents get an altitude adjustment

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Jul 31

Celia Peterson and Jensen Douillard are now heading through Northern California with a target of Shasta in two weeks. They just finished the Sierra Nevada mountain range and took this selfie at the 1000 mile marker on the way to Lake Tahoe on the Pacific Crest Trail.

By Tom and Peggy Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., July 30, 2025 — Celia Peterson and Jensen Douillard were having some of their biggest days — hiking 20-plus miles as they eyed Lake Tahoe in their journey to hike the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail.

They have knocked out 1,092 miles thus far.

“We had three big days,” Peterson said from the lakeside town, noting they were hustling to meet up with Jensen’s sister Devaki and her boyfriend Ryan, who were in the region checking out the redwoods. “We crushed it.”

Celia is a 2019 graduate of The Dalles High School and daughter to myself and Peggy, and she is hiking with Jensen, a native of Colorado and a recent transplant to Portland. The pair are having their moments as they trek from Mexico to Canada.

Jensen and Celia spent a fair amount of time at alpine lakes in the Sierra. Jensen was a cold plunger.

“We’ve learned a lot about each other,” Jensen said. “We’ve been together for three and a half months. Every second of every day. You see the worst and best of each other… we give each other a lot of grace, and ourselves grace too, when we’re not at our best.”

Unlike life off the trail, their daily existence is literally in step, and the couple are experiencing the same emotions at the same time — which can get interesting with mosquito attacks, cold plunges, blisters, and pounds and pounds of dehydrated potatoes.

For example: “If we just did a terrible climb, we have to navigate the hard moments together — we’re both going through the same thing,” Jensen said.
“On trail there is nowhere to go but walking on,” Celia added.

Sierra Nevada mountain range provided lots of challenges from crossing icy creeks to snowy passes.

Despite adding the weight of food and bear canisters 400 miles ago at Kennedy Meadows, Peterson said they are both stronger, especially on the uphill climbs.

They should be.

Reaching Tahoe is a major benchmark along the trail, as the pair have now successfully come through the Sierra Nevada mountain range — a 390-mile section with snowy crossings, icy creeks, and immense uphill and downhill stretches.

Single days can include 4,000 feet of climb and 4,000 feet of descent.

Imagine hiking from sea level to the top of Mount Everest (29,032 ft) — more than twice. Or to put it another way, they climbed and descended more than 22 miles.

Now imagine doing that while carrying a 40-pound pack, crossing icy rivers, and sleeping above 10,000 feet.

That’s the kind of energy the High Sierra demands. Altitude sickness and intense physical strain have added to the highs and lows of each day.

Jensen Douillard, Celia Peterson, Emily Peterson and Peggy Peterson in the Onion Valley near Kearsarge Pass.

Peggy, myself, and our daughter Emily joined Celia and Jensen at Cottonwood Pass near Lone Pine, Calif., in late June. Peg and I hiked with them for a day in the Sierra, while Emily went further with them on the ascent to Mt. Whitney.

Emily is all smiles getting to join her sister for an epic hike near Mt. Whitney.

We camped at 10,000 feet, woke up to frozen water bottles, and then did the 4-mile hike near Chicken Spring Lake. I had to take an extra breath every 10 steps, and when I carried Celia’s pack, the breathing anxiety and resting only increased.

Old men can get ugly in tense times - Lol!

We hiked the 1,200 feet of elevation, but not without considerations of turning back and quite a bit of pep talk between Peggy and myself. We did not want to disappoint them, so we pushed on until we had made it to the top of the pass. It was worth it.

Peggy, Celia, Jensen and Emily take a break near the top of a pass near Chicken Springs Lake.

Meadows, snow, peaks, marmots, creeks, and waterfalls greeted us as we felt dwarfed by the immensity of the landscape that surrounded us — reminded us of our place in the vastness of the American West.
The highs and lows… they’re no joke. You could not help but contemplate your existence within that broadest of Nature’s stroke. And you could not help but concentrate on each breath and footstep as you did so.

We separated at the top after they made us a cup of coffee and congratulated us on our 4 miles.

Congratulatory coffee and snacks were unpacked at the top of the pass.

Will the Real Hikers please stand? - That’s better.

Peg and I went back to the cush of our hotel room in Lone Pine to rest, while they went on to capture the peak.

Celia and Jensen punched out Mt. Whitney — the highest point in the lower 48 states of the U.S. at 14,505 feet — after camping through rain and snow the night before with Emily. It was devastatingly beautiful, they said after reaching the top on June 24.

We picked up Emily at Mt. Whitney Portal trailhead and returned home.

Celia and Jensen went on to bask in the beauty of the Sierra — from the glacial-carved Kings Canyon with granite spires to the awesome vistas of Pinchot and Muir passes. They took respite in Mammoth Lakes, surrounded by volcanic craters and jagged peaks, with access to grocery stores, laundry, brewpubs, and lodging before heading to Yosemite.

“I could go home tomorrow if I wanted to,” Celia said from Tahoe. “I am not ready to go yet.”

Life lessons, advice?

“That’s going to come at the end or after we're back home,” she said.
“That’s when we’ll notice changes in ourselves — when we're back in regular life,” Jensen added.