Emily Peterson, aka Zombie, is down to a few hundred miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. But fire is threatening to block the TDHS grad just 30 miles short of the northern terminus. Only time will tell if she makes it or not. The last push of 267 miles from Snoqualmie, Washington to the Canadian border is on.

TD’s Emily Peterson continues to push on in her goal to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail this season. She recently surpassed the 2,000-mile marker and will likely make it to Cascade Locks next week. But first a reunion with some new-old friends and some gorgeous scenery.

TDHS Grad Emily Peterson hits midpoint on Pacific Crest Trail on her way to the Canadian Terminus. 1,325 miles down. 1,325 miles to go. Trail magic, chocolate cake, and hope of seeing Oregon in August fuel hiker’s feet.

TD Grad Emily Peterson, AKA Zombie, has surpassed 950 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail but not without some major effort. These past 13 days, she has been through big elevation gains and losses covering 7 mountain passes in six days in just one stretch.

Emily Peterson now stands at mile 788 on the Pacific Crest Trail and has run a gauntlet of sickness and exhaustion during the past 13 days. And equally so, the TDHS grad has gone from moments of wanting to throw in the towel to sublime peace while gazing at deep blue mountain lakes and the Sierra Mountains in California. Sometimes, you have to sit down and accept your existence.

While she got to the lake early, it was still another 4 miles to the campground after hiking 18 miles. “It was awesome and terrible at the same time. Those last four miles take twice as long because you are just beat. I wanted to jump in so bad,” she said. “But you don’t want to hike wet. You don’t want soggy feet.”