September 2nd, 2023
Miles Hiked: 27
Total PCT Mileage: 2,575
This morning I woke up to the cold air in my tent. My friends didn’t show up last night as planned. I did let them know where I camped but it was an awkward spot hidden a little bit off the trail since there were so many people camping in the area last night. I slowly got ready making both oatmeal and hot chocolate mixed with coffee for breakfast. Eager Beaver packed up at the same time as me. We hit the trail together and I wondered if my friends had passed by early this morning or late last night. When we walked out to the trail, the crowd of tents that were right next to the trail were gone. I was surprised to see such a large group of people up and gone so early. Unusual. Hopefully this didn’t confuse my friends because I told them the campsite was packed last night.
Beaver talked incredibly fast as we both hiked to the top of Cutthroat Pass eating as many blueberries as we could grab while keeping out pace on the way up. The view was gorgeous. It was a bit hazy but I could see the outline of layers and layers of mountains to the North of us. I knew some of the mountains we were looking at were in Canada. It made me excited. Beaver and I continued hiking along the catwalk together when we ran into our friend Ricochet filtering water. We all continued hiking together. It was a fun group and a nice change of pace. I met Beaver in the Sierra and was glad we actually got a chance to hike together surprisingly right before we finished! Ricochet is someone I shared some memorable miles with in the Bob Marshall Wilderness right before the end of the CDT last summer. All three of us were wondering where all of our friends were. Their group never caught up to them last night either. There wasn’t much camping around us so we had no idea where anyone could be.
We descended from Cutthroat Pass all the way down to the bottom of a wooded forest. The three of us took so many breaks together hoping our friends would catch up before we realized that they must be ahead of us. There is no way anyone would take that long to catch up to us given all our breaks. We hardly saw anyone else we didn’t know on the trail. It was weird. The day grew hotter and hotter. At Maple Creek all three of us dunked our shirts and hats in the cold water trying to cool down before we began a big climb up a steep hillside. Luckily there were tons of nicely graded switch backs. So even though it was a steep mountainside, the climbing was easy. That’s when we all saw it at once. Two massive and distinct clouds of smoke that were not there this morning. We knew the PCT monument was right in the middle of them based on fire reports we had from the last place we had service: Stehekin. My heart started racing. The sky was hazy this morning but these smoke clouds did not look good and I still didn’t know where my friends were. I was aiming to get to Hart’s Pass and meet them there. I figured they would be thinking the same thing based on our usual mileage and our finishing plan.
Beaver, Ricochet and I shared some panicked thoughts about the smoke and continued on a little bit faster not talking to each other until we got to the next water source where we needed to fill up. I was feeling so anxious about the fires and the thought of not being able to finish. Hopefully they could hold off one more day but it was not looking good. I know that fire activity usually peaks around noon. At the water source I turned on my Garmin satellite messenger to see if my friends had messaged me. They must be ahead if they made it out on the trail last night like they had planned. I cooked my best dinner for lunch just in case it was the last meal I was going to eat on the PCT. Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy. I found out my friends were behind me and that they camped by the road to trail last night. Oh boy. I knew they were probably about to get a view of the smoke for the first time.
Beaver, Ricochet and I all hiked on. It was still relatively early in the day and we were three miles from Harts Pass. We saw the smoke again. I turned on my cell service and miraculously we had some on the ridge line. I texted my dad to ask him about the fires. He said there was no update. I texted my friends that I would be at Harts Pass. All of a sudden Ricochet started running down the trail towards Beaver and I shouting “They closed it! It’s closed!”. He got the news from a hiker we passed who was on the phone and was our hint of the available cell service. Beaver and I stopped. I looked up the PCT fire closure website. It was true. The PCTA had issued a fire closure in conjuction with the National Forest Service less than an hour ago. There would be no hiking to the monument this year. The PCT was closed at Holman Pass just north of Harts Pass. I don’t really think any of us knew how to feel. To come 99% of the way from Mexico and watch as our destination literally became engulfed in a cloud of smoke was dramatic to say the least. I texted my friends to tell them it was closed. The three of us all decided to take a break on the ridge with the last view of the trail for us. We could see the smoke just getting worse. We all drank the celebration drinks we had packed out and saved for that moment. Beaver had the worst tasting champagne I’ve ever had. Mostly because it was disgustingly hot. We took a few pictures and continued on down to Harts Pass. Ricochet shared that he hadn’t been able to finish a single state on the PCT due to other wild fire evacuations. Beaver was crushed. I figured that maybe I could go hike my fire closures on the CDT from last year.
At Harts Pass the energy was as awkward as it could be. Beaver, Ricochet and I were the first hikers to arrive who were not able to finish this year. Every other hikers was celebrating tagging the border. There was trail magic and a ranger setting up a giant sign with the fire closure information. I signed the log book at the pass and checked the bear boxes for something someone told me they left for me. I didn’t find anything. A lady from Mazama named “Lyon” arrived in a truck right when I got to the pass. She told everyone that she could fit ten hikers in the car. She told us all we should fill the truck as much as possible because there would be many other hikers needing a ride later and tomorrow. Based on the absolutely packed full bus leaving Stehekin. I knew there were at least 44 hikers behind me plus those who went into Mazama and those coming back from the finish. If I had to guess over 100 hikers were on trail right now between Rainy Pass and Canada. The three of us took the first ride down. It was a bit shocking, but given the situation it seemed like the best choice. I was bummed I didn’t get to see Midnight and Trail Diva the last day on trail. The whole thing was so much to take in at once.
Packed tightly into the back of the pick up truck, we talked to the people who got to finish and asked them how bad the smoke and fires were. They told us that the fire seemed close to the trail, they could see it on the neighboring ridge at camp the night before. They also said the smoke was getting a lot worse as they hiked out and there were rangers telling people to get off the trail. I thought about the wooden monument possibly burning to the ground. Would I ever get to see it? Would anyone wrap it in the fire protective coating I’ve seen trees covered with? When I do get to hike to the border one day would it be completely charred? If there is one thing that defined my PCT hike the most this year, I would say it is fire. The ride to Mazama was slow going and very bumpy, especially when we had to cross a newly cleared land slide on Harts Pass road. It seemed like it took almost two hours. I was really glad I took the ride when I did. We were dropped off at the hostel that Lyon ran called Lyon’s Den. By then it was dark. There were tons of hikers there and Trail Diva’s boyfriend Kurt.
I set up my tent and talked to the other hikers. Pretty much everyone had been able to finish and tag the border but there were a few hikers who got off at Rainy Pass and heard the news when they went into Mazama and decided to stay there. One of them named “Rapunzel” was very sweet and showed us a small wooden monument she and a few others had made for those people not able to finish. I was super thankful for the act of kindness. Hikers always know how to come together. I went to bed as it was getting late and I was waiting for my friends to arrive on a much later ride down the mountain into town. I couldn’t believe today was my last day on the PCT. It all happened so fast.
Happy Trails,
Early Bird
Des Hikes Thru 