After roughly 130 days on the Pacific Crest Trail, one hiking couple crossed the Bridge of the Gods from Oregon into Washington — the final state of a 2,650-mile trek from Mexico to Canada — only to find their ending written by forces beyond their control: wildfire.
Their story, told in a trail diary for The Trek, is a useful reality check for anyone dreaming about a thru-hike in 2020s fire seasons. Within days of entering Washington, roughly 100 miles of the remaining 500 were closed — big chunks north of Snoqualmie Pass, up to Stevens Pass, and again north of Rainy Pass. The closures kept growing: a new fire later shut the trail between Stevens Pass and Stehekin, leaving just two options — take alternate routes for the final 250 miles, or call it done at Snoqualmie Pass. The hikers chose the latter, deciding that road-walking through smoke to tick a border wasn't the point of the hike.
The trail itself, though, delivered. Southern Washington brought humid climbs, glacial streams and glimpses of volcanoes, then the standout stretch: the Goat Rocks Wilderness, a section they'd tried and failed to visit for years while living in the Pacific Northwest. Wildflower meadows, actual mountain goats on the ridgelines, and a high route past Old Snowy with views of Mount Adams, Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier — interrupted only by the Knife's Edge, a famous loose-rock ridgeline that demands careful footing.
There was wildlife drama too. A shouted "STOP" on the trail turned out to be a large mountain lion slipping into the trees — followed shortly by her kitten playing in the underbrush. The pair hiked back-to-back for a while after that.
The diary also shows the strange logistics of long-distance hiking in a fire year. A coworker delivered a trailhead resupply outside Trout Lake, complete with meatball subs and shelf-stable bacon (a birthday gift that went straight into the pasta). A race against closing time at the White Pass gas station secured a shower, laundry and a resupply box. Many friends simply ended their hikes at Cascade Locks rather than deal with smoke and closures. Apps like Watch Duty, which tracks active fires, and FarOut, the crowdsourced trail guide, became as essential as boots.
For travellers, the takeaway is less about the hike and more about the destination: Washington's Cascade sections of the PCT — Goat Rocks, Mount Adams, the approaches to Rainier — are spectacular and perfectly doable as ordinary multi-day or day hikes, no thru-hike required. But in late summer, check fire conditions before you go, and build flexibility into any Cascade itinerary.
