Fire disrupts PCT treks

One of the great thru-hikes of the world, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), has been a monumental challenge for the class of 2024.

This is the time of year that thru-hikers from around the world and all 50 states arrive in Sisters, either hiking northbound (NOBO) from the Mexican border, or southbound (SOBO) from the Canadian border, and attempt to hike a continuous footpath from one national border to the other. A journey of 2,650 miles, or 6.2 million steps if you prefer. Sisters is where NOBOs and SOBOs cross paths. The NOBOs having started in mid-Spring from the Mexican border at Campo, California, and thru-hiked 2,000 miles to arrive in Sisters. The SOBOs left the Canadian border in late June, having hiked 650 miles, with the tough challenge of starting in rugged North Cascades.

The dream of a continuous footpath between Mexico and Canada was first proposed in the late 1930s. It would be decades of working with private landowners and governmental agencies before the PCT came into reality, inaugurated in 1977.

Photo by Stu Ehr

Tumbleweed, a hiker from Norway, marked a map kept at Hike-N-Peaks in Sisters.

A Mercator Projection map of the world hangs neatly behind the display counter of Hike-N-Peaks outdoor store in Sisters. Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers often stop in here as part of their resupply for the trail. Co-owner/manager Sharri Bertagna says they invite every thru-hiker to push a colored pin into the map to mark their home town and country.

"We've had (this year) hikers from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Korea, Georgia (the country), and of course, the U.S., but by the end of the season we should have a lot of pins in here for Germany as well. They are a big hiking country," Bertagna explains. By the end of the hiking season the map may have noted hikers from every U.S. state and up to 45 counties.

The average time to hike border to border is five months. Only 50 thru-hikers are permitted to leave the border each day, having made a selection for a start date in a highly competitive system the year before.

One of the pleasant surprises was how far one solo female hiker came,

"Her given name is Victoria, her trail name is Tumbleweed," Bertagna said. "She is a 27-year-old thru-hiker from a small island off the coast of Norway. There are only 25 people who live on the same island!"

A thru-hike is defined as a continuous foot path from one border to the other.

It is near impossible this year, and even the last few years, due to fires.

The average thru-hiker will spend $1,500–$2,000 on gear for the PCT.

They will then spend an average of $10,000 on the hike for food, hotels, shoes, replacing lost or broken gear, and incidentals.

This summer, the PCT seems to be continually closed in at least two places in California, Oregon, and Washington. As wildland firefighters get one fire under control and are able to open a section of trail again, another fire pops up making it a continuous battle for thru-hikers to stay informed about what closures lie ahead on trail. When thru-hikers come upon a trail closure, they are then left with the difficult logistics of figuring out how to get around the fire and where they should get "on trail" again, either by hitchhiking or reaching out to a local "trail angel" group to try to secure a ride.

Dee McCormick has been a camp host for the last four seasons at Sisters Creekside Campground and has noted the irregularities in how many thru-hikers have actually been through this year.

"They started really late with a lot of snow and then the fires," she said. "The first arrived about mid-July. Most wanted to start (their hike) in April but snow and rain delayed their start. We had 15 tents up the other night, but today, just two."

Despite the fires, smoke, and trail closures, thru-hikers still find a lot to enjoy.

Photo by Stu Ehr

Mamajoat and Papajoat, age 64, from Grass Valley, California.

Ken and Deb, both 64, are from Grass Valley, California. Their trail names are Papajoat and Mamajoat (Jack of all Trades).They so appreciate the PCT and the value it brings to those willing to explore, that they volunteer to maintain 25 miles of the PCT near their home.

Ken waxes enthusiastic about the trail so far: "It's been like a botanical garden from Mexico all the way to here! All the different flowers and cactus blooming. Just absolutely wonderful to be in and see this great nature."

With her very short legs, Mamajoat (Deb) also notes the challenges brought on by storms early in the hiking season:

"Trail maintenance has been lacking in a few places with all the late storms, with lots of fallen trees, with which my short legs is tough to get over, There are big sections in California where the trail is completely washed out."

Still, Papajoat has found little to complain about, choosing to focus on the beauty instead. He admits that because of Deb's short strides, they only average 12 miles per day and it has actually slowed him down enough to take extra time to enjoy the greatness of the outdoors, especially as they were heading into Jefferson Park, a section that many thru-hikers regard as the prettiest in Oregon. "I love the mountain heather, the lupine, and the paintbrush, just so vivid, just brilliant crimson and reds. The shooting stars, penstemon, foxglove - all in bloom. Just outstanding!" he said.

One of the more intriguing stories of how a hiker came to be on the PCT comes from Bob Fischer (64, no trail name yet) of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Fischer's home, like more than 2,000 others, was reduced to a mound of soft ash.

"Everything, all of it, gone," he said sadly.

Having mused about the PCT years earlier, he figured nothing was going to change in Lahaina for quite a long time. He was in pain about his loss, untethered to the future and whether he could even live in Lahaina again.

"For me, the PCT became a path to introspection about my life so far, and wondering what will the future look like, " he said. "The trail has brought me a sense of peace that I never would have found had I stayed on Maui. It's been a wonderful distraction with so many people holding my story and that's when I began to let go, to heal."

How do thru-hikers regard their short resupply stay in Sisters? It's a mixed bag. Many trail towns often require a "hitch" to get into and out of town. Those hitches can be problematic, given traffic and the time of day. Thru-hikers can wait from a few minutes to several hours for a kind soul to give them a ride into Sisters. Hikers report that the 24-mile hitch from Santiam Pass is harder given the narrow shoulders on Highway 22 and the speed of traffic.

Photo by Stu Ehr

Lili and her hiking partner between McKenzie Pass and Santiam Pass on the PCT.

"Drivers spot us a little too late to pull over. You can see it in their faces as they zip by," said Jamboree, a thru-hiker from Texas.

The hitch from McKenzie Pass (14 miles) is much easier, given thru-hikers can approach sightseers for a hitch.

As far as a resupply town, Sisters is regarded as simply, "Good." Not great or superb or excellent, just good. What thru-hikers love about Sisters is the friendliness, the whole "Wild West vibe," as one hiker described it. They like the compact size of Sisters making it easy to get around on foot, just a mile from one end of town to the other. All the things they need, laundry, food, a post office and groceries are all an easy walk, and Sisters residents are described as friendly, very helpful, and willing. So willing in fact that when Hike-N-Peaks didn't have the shoe in Mamajoats size, a local said, "Hey, you can borrow my truck if you need to go to Bend."

The only minus noted about Sisters, and it is a big one, is the high price of lodging. A few hoteliers offer a discount to PCT thru-hikers, but often not enough of a discount for them to book a room, given that many thru-hikers don't have the funds to drop $250/night and upward on a room. Although the thought of a soft bed, laundry on site, air conditioning, and access to town is tempting, running out of money in the middle of their PCT hike is unthinkable. Most will opt for the campground, where a special section has been set aside for them. The cost to camp, including shower is only $5. A price that thru-hikers enthusiastically pay.

Although thru-hikers give high marks to the variety of eateries in Sisters (and thru-hikers eat, i.e. devouring like starving hyenas).The only minus noted was the lack of early morning breakfast eateries. Hikers' bodies are adjusted to getting up at 5 a.m., and eating to be on the trail by 6 a.m. Apparently, not a lot of options for that time of day to find an eatery to, "carbo-load."

The question is, given the conditions of the last three years, why attempt a thru-hike and risk breathing in the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, especially given the cardiovascular challenges already placed on a thru-hiker's body, and the additional task of having to get off and on the trail repeatedly through all three states just to skirt fires?

Lifeline, a 27-year-old female Quebec native remarked, "I wanted to push myself, to be able to prove to myself I was so capable. It's the freedom. The simple life."

Spicy, a 30-year-old male from France, and Lifeline's hiking partner, agreed:

"It is the simple life. Everything you need you carry with you. Just being in the wild. I wake up everyday in a new place, I decide how far I'm going to go that day, where I'll eat, what I see, how many miles I hike, where I'll camp at night. It really is freedom."