Peterson encountering fires on PCT; Should she stay or should she go?

PCT Hiker and TDHS Grad of 2017 Emily Peterson reached the 1,500-mile mark this week but also ran into trail closures due to the McKinney Fire on the Oregon/California border. It was time for some deep thinking and risk assessment.

By Tom Peterson

The 57,000-acre McKinney Fire burning near Yreka in Northern California has thrown a screwball for Pacific Crest Trail hikers who are now batting around ideas on how to continue.

That included Emily Peterson of The Dalles who recently surpassed the 1,500-mile mark on her way into the city of Mount Shasta.

The fire is burning in The Klamath National Forest between the city of Etna and Ashland, effectively shutting down 100 miles of the trail and the entrance to Oregon

“We are catching a bus to Castle Crags State Park right now,” Peterson reported Thursday, Aug. 4. “We will spend the night there and then get back on the PCT tomorrow and try to hike to Etna.

Peterson said the large bubble of hikers she has been with has all been changing plans to deal with the fire in Northern California as well as the Windigo, Tolo and Cedar Creek fires in Oregon.

She said some are hitching all the way to the trail’s Northern Terminus in Canada and then hiking south through Washington.”

Her group is still far from any burning fires in their next 90 miles, but they have been having some occasional smoke. And the air quality index is still in a ‘moderate to good’ rating, being less than 100.

The city of Mount Shasta provided a nice respite for Peterson and her group of hiking buddies as they contemplated their next moves.

Eye protection is a must on the sunny PCT. But Sunglasses don’t last long. Peterson, right, is on her third set.

Peterson and her three hiking buddies made it to the city of Mount Shasta on Wednesday and then took Thursday to contemplate their next move after a beer and food at the Pipeline brewpub.

They opted to stay on trail with an exit plan of calling a friend in Ashland to come and pick them up if needed. Peterson said she is staying in touch with her friend through her in-Reach communicator.

Her friend is within an hour’s drive. And Highway 3 and trailheads will provide exit locations.

“We’re feeling pretty good about it,” she said. “Right now it looks like it's fine, and we can make it to Etna. We have a couple of backup plans in case we need to get picked up sooner.”

“What we’re really worried about is the fires in Oregon,” she said.

The Ashland friend will drive Emily and her pals from Etna to Ashland and another decision will have to be made about how to navigate the whole of Oregon.

She could opt for the Oregon Coast Trail, skip around fires, or even jump ahead to Washington and come back and hike missed miles in Oregon later in the fall after flames have been squelched.

In any event, Emily said she intends to go off trail for a few days for her cousin Sarah’s bachelorette party next week.

In addition, she and her hiking compadres also intend to catch a hitch to Cascade Locks for Pacific Crest Trail Days on Aug. 19 and 20. There, a huge gathering of PCT hikers descends on Marine Park Pavillion next to Thunder Island to get gear repaired, enjoy libations and food, catch up with trail friends and listen to trail legends speak.

Taking a break near Interstate 5 near Dunsmuir, Calif.

Peterson agreed the events that could pull her off trail for several days will give her a nice rest to recover.

And how was it surpassing 1,500 miles?

“Yeah, ok,” she said.

The halfway point was the real celebration. And it might have been prophetic.

“We celebrated halfway with Fireball shots on the trail,” she said.

One each?

“Two.”