TD Grad takes up paddle to Finish PCT by Boat
Peterson’s northern passage will end in a canoe on Ross Lake, not by foot, as mother nature sent lightning to torch trees near the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail.
By Tom Peterson
Peterson started the Pacific Crest Trail in this photo back on April 29 near the border of Mexico. Burned out of the border with Canada, she has now opted to reach Canadian soil by canoe tomorrow, Oct. 5.
The last 24 days have been a true odyssey for Emily Peterson as she determined fire in northern Washington was not to keep her from touching Canadian soil.
Peterson, 23, also known as Zombie, was prevented from reaching the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest trail as fires shut down the final 30 miles of trail between Harts Pass and Canada.
She has been hiking from the Mexican border since April 29.
She was able to knock out 2470 miles of the 2,650-mile trail.
Mt. Whitney brought spectacular views and challenged Peterson who was recovering from an intestinal ailment earlier this summer.
She left some miles untouched in California and Oregon due to health and then fires.
But as I write this she is on a final 22-mile jaunt to put a cap on her trip - by canoe.
“In the beginning it was like, oh man, it’s going to feel so good when it is over,” she said several days ago from Stehekin, Wash. “Now it is here, and I am like, if the weather was going to be a little better I would keep going.”
Zombie and hiking pal Sandals rented a canoe at Ross Lake this morning and loaded a bottle of Champagne and their belongings and set out for the northern terminus of the lake, which is in Canada.
Her last day hiking came on Monday, Oct. 3.
“For the trip to have closure, I would love to say I went from Mexico to Canada. It will be nice to have that moment to finish up.”
Back on Sept. 11, Peterson said they set out from Snoqualmie Pass and were set to finish the trail in northern Washington, but the smoke got so bad they turned back after a mile.
She, Sandals, and hiking friends Mickey D and Fizz opted to head back to Northern California and Oregon to finish miles they could not get due to the McKinney and Cedar Creek fires.
They were hoping to wait out the blaze at the end of the trail.
They got a ride in a chauffeured black SUV to Seattle thanks to a hiker friend called 5-Star - a guy that likes to travel in style and stay in nice accommodations.
They parted way with 5-Star at the Four Seasons in Seattle and rented a car to drive back to Northern California.
This hike in Seattle became part of the plan when fire at the northern terminus of the PCT forced a decision to cover skipped miles in California and Oregon.
They completed the 90-mile trail section from Etna to Ashland. And it became apparent that the trail’s end was not likely to reopen.
So, Zombie and Sandals said farewell to Micky D and Fizz, the texas couple that provided incredible companionship. They were set to return to West Texas after a short vacation in Seattle.
Saying goodbye was tough, Peterson said, noting it was the foreshadowing of days to come.
Peterson found out a pair of shoes was only good for 500 miles.
“We were like oh, this is it,” she said. You could hear hearts dropping in her voice.
Zombie and Sandals then picked up another 60 miles of formerly closed trail near Willamette Pass and hiked into Olallie Lake.
Sandal's parents then couriered them back to Snoqualmie Pass for their finish.
Peterson said the last week, from Stevens Pass to Stehekin, had been gorgeous and grueling with elevation gains of 6,000 feet per day and swift trail drop-offs that hammered their legs during 26-mile days.
They resupplied in Stehekin on Sept. 30, a town only reachable by trail and boat and then planned their final days.
Just 80 miles to go.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association did not have good news.
“I’m sorry to report that the fires remain active and the trail remains closed, said Jack Haskel, the Trail Information Officer with the PCT Association. “This will likely be the case until there is season-ending snowfall, but we will update our site whenever there is news to share.”
So, they pounded out their final three days on the trail, ending their foot travel in Harts Pass on Monday, Oct. 3. They caught a hitch to Mazama and found a campground and a hard apple cider. It is Washington, after all.
Peterson in Mazama on Monday, Oct. 3, with a cider after finishing her last section of trail… for now.
“I got about three days left on these shoes,” Peterson said that night, noting the tread was wearing thin.
“It’s going to be intense,” she said of paddling, switching from lower body to upper body. “I will be annihilated the next day.”
They intend to paddle 44 miles over two days to complete their trip.
“I just keep thinking right now, one week from now, I am going to be home, and that is weird,” Peterson said.
“I think a lot and ask myself what did I do before I did this,” she said. “It’s kind of hard to remember. This showed me how much you can accomplish. It makes me feel like goals before this were too low… you should not be afraid to set goals higher?”
“If I can do this, I can probably do anything. I think about day-to-day life. It’s literally no big deal to hike 20 miles; it has become so normal. I thought it was going to be a lot harder mentally than it is. After a certain point, it becomes so normal that it is not a big deal anymore.”
“This is like the level of what I am used to, what else can I do? Maybe in life before I was not pushing myself enough.”
Peterson said the transition, just like moving from home to an apartment, would be hard.
The trail, the trees, the lakes, the flowers, the rocks, the animals, the burns, the heat, the cold, the mosquitos - have been her home for five-plus months. And the hundreds of hikers created a kinship along the way.
“I get funky and anxious about that. It will feel weird to wake up in a bed and not have to put that bed away.”
“It would be easier to keep doing this - but I am ready to do different things again.”
Mosquitos in the Sierra were a bit rough along the way. Sometimes you have to laugh the pain away. It’s better with friends such as “Crocks” seen here at the bottom.
Mt. Baden Powell was a high point in Southern California at 9,407 feet.
Peterson near Yosemite back in July.
