The Pacific Crest Trail is a thru hiking adventure, that stretches 2,600 miles between Mexico and Canada. While my partner has been hiking since March 18 when I dropped him off on the border of Mexico, my adventure started the first week of May, with my good girl Chloe Rue at my side. We had to skip north of the Sierra Nevada Mountains this year, and plan to end with them. Instead, we started where our pets can officially join us: Old Station, California. Follow along for stories, dog tails and things I am learning on the way- about my dog, my partner and life in general.
This summer has been more fulfilling than I could ever write in words. For those who have been reading each blog post, following my PCT journey with Chloe Rue, you’ve been right here next to me. You’ve walked with me through the highest of highs. That moment when we crossed into Oregon, my humbling story about the lost Peanut Butter poop jar, having a half-way-there party in Bend with friends. You’ve seen my lowest of lows, like my anxiety on knife’s edge and the horrors of my first week when Seth fell into the creek. You’ve been right by my side, as I’ve healed from trauma, restored my faith in the incredible kindness of humanity, and as I’ve grown more humble, kind, and conscious of the world we dwell within.
This blog post is the last of the PCT 2023 trail tails. Though my journey ended early, and unexpectedly, I had a dream. I used my mind, body, and soul to chase down that dream and I am SO proud of myself for every step I chose to take toward that goal. I am so grateful to everyone who is reading my blog posts and following along with this journey.
I know many of you find me inspirational in how I chase after my dreams with my entire heart, and choose to share them through my writing. I find everyone reading inspirational- you are the reason my stories can come to life. So thank you, SO much for following me and Chloe Rue on this journey. Thank you for supporting my little family of four, with Seth and Freyja walking by my side. Thanks for savoring these tails. Now, brace yourself for the trail finale.
Trail Magic at Muggle Pass
Washington typically marks the end of the trail for north bound folks attempting a thru hike of the PCT. I feel that the terrain matches the mood of a thru hiker nearing the end of the trail exceptionally well. There are the highest, highs like the views from the Goat Rocks, the magic of Mount Adams, the beauty of Mount Rainier looking like a floating magic mountain in the sky ahead. It would be behind us before we even knew it, flying past mountains until we caught the first glimpse of Many Glacier in the North Cascades. We could SEE the end of the trail. It was coming so soon! Meanwhile the winding trail dipped us back down into the green tunnel again, and our moods would also dip down into silence, with it.
We were camping in a swarm of mosquitos near a stunning blue lake, accented by the steep cliffs of surrounding mountains. We were still in a hiker bubble, though now we were seeing less and less hikers heading south bound. The largest of the SOBO-ers had passed us, and the pressure to beat the fire season was fighting with a deep, deep fatigue. Now we had North Bounders catching up to us, and even the first person who had successfully made it through the Sierra section (which we bypassed due to snow) had caught up to us on the trail. It felt good to meet people who we knew we might see again. Seth even met a few people who he had hiked with in the desert, and I was excited to finally meet some familiar names.
We left the lake early that day, ready to pile on high mileage. Little did we know that “Muggle Pass” was coming up and would slow our pace down significantly. Muggles, are non magic people, not a witch or a wiz- oh whoops wrong book. Let me try again. Muggles are non thru hiker people- meaning they hike during the day, or camp on weekends only. I was a muggle once, before I started my first thru hike. Was that just a few months ago?
Well, Chloe and I love muggles. So do Seth and Freyja. Unfortunately though, when there are masses and masses of muggles to walk through in Mt Rainier National Park- well we had to walk slowly. We love to answer questions about our hike with dogs, because everyone is pretty shocked when they hear about these good girls who were SO close to that 1,000 mile mark. However answering the same questions over and over, when there are HUNDREDS of people on the trail does feel rather wearing. In fact one muggle saw us and exclaimed in bitter anger with a finger literally pointing at us, “This is a National Park! Dogs are only allowed on the Pacific Crest Trail in this National Park!” Which… is exactly where we were. I was happy when her family member told her that, with eyes rolling. He responded, “They are thru hikers! Leave them alone!” I guess he was afraid of our magic, after all. All jokes aside, we loved talking to people but it was quite overwhelming and our early start quickly turned into an 11am, time to ascend 2,000 feet through another mountain pass, kind of day.
UNTIL the most magical interruption put all thoughts of making miles aside. We had heard a rumor of trail magic at the upcoming road crossing. When we finally made it down the pass and into the parking lot we saw it- a large tent, with a truck FULL of food, and hikers sitting all around with huge smiles on their faces. It could not be true!
A fun thing that happens on the PCT is called trail magic. Sometimes it’s someone lost in the wilderness, who you give directions to and she gives Seth a beer, and me a pickle. Sometimes though, angels will treat hikers with the food we crave most in an organized event. That had not happened to me yet on this journey, and I was absolutely STOKED to experience it that day.
We had fresh fruit including PLUMS, vegetables and hummus, DORITOS, chocolate pudding and even chocolate milk! There was a special place to wash our hands (I know I haven’t mentioned it much but we smelled REALLY BAD and our hands had dirt crusted into our nail beds and hand wrinkles that would take weeks of scrubbing to disappear), there were those items we all need for gear repair, patch kits, a charging station- it was truly the finest magic. We were hosted by an incredible man who had hiked the trail in the past, with one of the women who were present at the magic that very day. Our host liked to produce PCT trail parody songs, and enjoyed the food jingles I had come up with (the burrito song was followed by a pizza song and in this moment a sushi jingle in anticipation for all you can eat sushi in North Bend). We listened to the PCT parody songs, all of us laughing. The man and his guitar were talented! Before we knew it, it was 1pm- the heat of the day. That 2,000 foot mountain climb was still waiting for us, and now we’d be hiking through the heat of the day. Let me just say it though. That trail magic made it SO worth it.
Only YOU Can Prevent Wildfires, says Smokey Suzanne
It was August, a hot day, and we were in the mountains at a pretty significant elevation. Yet I saw the THIRD illegal campfire burning in the back country since the fire season had begun. We had just listened to an amazing podcast (National Park After Dark being awesome once again) about Smokey the Bear’s Origins and I found out that EIGHTY PERCENT of wildfires are caused by humans. That’s such a high percentage. So, I had to go and say something. Seth and I were looking for a spot to set up our tent, and found ourselves in a meadow. We didn’t see any established sites there, but I saw a gentle orange glow in the distance and heard some voices. I was aghast, because we were a ways away from the formal trail by now, in our campsite search. I gave Seth Chloe’s leash, and told him to keep an eye on me in case they decided to abduct me. Then I felt AWFUL to see a beautiful family, all enjoying their camping trip with multiple tents, a vehicle (we must have been closer to a national forest road than I realized) and they had just finished dinner with empty plates on their laps. Smokey Suzanne turned into humbled and embarrassed Suzanne; but I DID IT, you better believe it. They offered me trail magic (twice in one day, I KNOW) but I refused and told them I needed to talk to them about their campfire. I said that it was illegal to have one right now and explained why. I also explained how we were working so hard to reach Canada and wildfires can get in our way. They didn’t seem to understand that their fire could turn into a wildfire so easily- BUT they did agree to put the illegal fire out. I walked away, unscathed, and a little bit shocked that I actually found the gumption to talk to them, all by myself. Safely reunited with Seth (who was also SO angry about the fire) and our good dogs, we continued our path North.
Screen Shot of Fire Situation in the PNW this summer
Now if you’re hiking and you see that tell tale orange glow and it’s illegal to have a campfire- you can do it too! Speak up, and save our forests because the trees can’t talk as loudly as we can.
Let’s Hike a Marathon
Seth and I were plugging out miles, but we had the complication of two, ten mile water carries in a row. We knew we’d have to camp without water one night, and we wanted to try a marathon day. That is, walk 26 miles in a day. I hesitated on this due to my rule of the girls sticking to 20 miles or less; but we were getting SO CLOSE to Canada. I felt like we were moving slowly compared to those around us, especially when the SOBO bubble began to disappear. So I agreed to it. Plus, what an accomplishment! When else can I hike 26 miles without my asthma bothering me, or my body wanting to fail. I felt like we were capable of this feat. Plus I had heard that sled dogs can pull SIXTY miles in a race! I had no idea (I still need to verify if that’s true) but if a dog can go 20 miles, what’s 6 more?
Our marathon day was a struggle, for me. I was worried about having enough water for myself and Chloe Rue, it was getting warmer and we both didn’t do well in the heat. We hit a fire zone early (it was actually still recovering from a burn that happened in 1989, which was crazy to me) and made it back into the green tunnel before noon. We took just an hour to rest for lunch, before pushing onwards. We could see Many Glacier and the North Cascades through the trees now, and I could almost feel Canada watching us. The girls would be done with their hike in Canada. I would go down to the Sierra. I would summit Mt Whitney. I had these dreams in my mind the entire day, as palatable as chocolate. I walked 23 miles, then 24, and that’s when the exhaustion struck me HARD. It felt like my body was a boulder, just rolling down a hill- up a hill- down a hill- up a hill. It turns out we were on “Blow Out Mountain”, famous for destroying knees. I felt like my entire body was about to blow out, but I could do it; 2 more miles. The campsite we arrived to was occupied by 2 others already; it was after “hiker midnight” meaning the fellow hikers were already asleep and it was nearly dark outside. The worst though, was that it was 4 more miles to water. At night we rehydrate our meals, our dog food, and usually drink quite a bit to help our bodies recover from the strain. This night, I did not drink as much as I needed. There was not really a way around this- I had carried 6 liters of water for that 10 mile carry and Seth did too. That’s over a gallon each- over 10 extra pounds of weight- but between the warm day and the strenuous day; that was the most we could do for ourselves.
I woke up the next day, and felt fine. The dogs were happy clams too and somehow, MAGICALLY when I uttered the famous “Wana go for a walk?” They danced in excitement per usual. Wellp, I guess a marathon is something we can handle physically. Little did I know, that my body in that moment, had started to eat itself to sustain energy. I felt fine, but this was my second to last day on the trail.
It was just 16 more miles until town! North Bend’s all you can eat Sushi was waiting for us! A friend I had met on my travels who offered to be our Washington Angel agreed to give us a ride to town and I was so excited to catch up with her too. We were feeling every single step of that 16 miles though and Seth and I were both on edge. We couldn’t get through a podcast because we couldn’t focus; we didn’t want to talk to each other because- well at least for me- my words were too crabby to come out nicely. We were five miles away from Snoqualmie Pass when Freyja started to limp slightly. We checked her over thoroughly and also found a chafing sore had started from where her halter was rubbing on her spine. I guess 26 miles DID push that Australian Shepard’s limits and we both felt awful. We took multiple rest breaks, offered lots of water (because of course now we were close to lakes and streams again). It was the first cool, gloomy day on the trail in quite a significant amount of time and it once again matched our moods.
We finally arrived to Snoqualmie Pass, and enjoyed a fresh salad and coffee until my friend arrived and brought us to all you can eat sushi. Due to Freyjas limp, we decided to find a hotel and FINALLY take a zero. This was the BEST decision and we stayed in a nearby hotel that had a dog friendly room directly next to their outdoor area. I ate so much breakfast and enjoyed resting thoroughly. I finally had a new cell phone and could catch up with my social media posts and information; I could absorb love and support from my friends and family who I didn’t have saved on Seth’s phone. It felt so good to be connected again.
When Everything Fell Apart
We ended up taking a double zero. The day after we rested, I walked the dogs around the hotel and found out that I had the WORST charlie horses I had ever experienced in my narliest nightmares. I knew I was dehydrated and probably had an electrolyte imbalance from the marathon day, but I did not know that there was much more going on than Charlie Horses. I walked into the hotel room, laughing hysterically because I was limping so badly while trying to walk less than a block. Seth laughed with me and I flopped on the floor while the dogs gave me all the doggy kisses and attention. Seth was spectacular and made sure I had bananas, gallons of water and electrolytes near me to drink.
The next morning I felt 100 percent again and we asked a trail angel for a ride to the trail. We sat at a brewery in Snowqualamie Pass to wait out the heat of the day and eat pizza. One little charlie horse came back in my right leg. I shook it off as no big deal, it would abide in 10 minutes. We started walking toward the trail head shortly thereafter.
It was less than a mile to walk from the brewery to the trail head. Honestly it was probably closer to a quarter mile, as we just had to walk under the interstate and the trail would begin. However in that quarter mile, I went from having a small ache, to having such excruciating pain in both legs that I began to cry. I was using my hiking poles to hold myself up, and my legs were shaking so badly that they barely supported me. There was a coffee shop JUST off the interstate, with benches for hikers. I made it there, and sat on the bench crying. The pain began to abide. At this point though, Seth was VERY concerned about starting the Kendall Catwalk which was 2,500 feet above us this time. It was a gradual climb that would sneak up on you, but there was really no bypass off the trail and it was the only way through that portion of mountain. I remembered looking at an old picture of how they made the catwalk, which was by flying a helicopter overhead and dumping red paint onto the rocks. Trail crews then knew where to cut into for the trail to be born. Remembering this; knowing this was ahead had both Seth and I on the fence about starting to hike. But we needed a place to sleep and all the hotels at the pass were full. I had read there was a spot at the trailhead, close to bathrooms.
So after practicing standing on my legs again and believing they would support me to just walk under a bridge- the trail head was right on the other side- we began to walk again. The pain was once again, excruciating. The worst charlie horse imaginable in both legs, that were shaking SO horribly I could barely stay upright. I began to cry again from the pain but this time it was more- it was fear that this was going to be the end for me. Would CHARLIE HORSES in my calves take me off the trail? I couldn’t believe it, after dodging hypothermia, a broken leg, a torn gastrocnemius, nearly running out of food- charlie horses. What.
A trail angel saw me when I was under the bridge. Seth was holding both Chloe, Freyja, his poles, wearing his pack, and acting as a crutch for me; which at this point included bearing most of my weight as my body was not supporting me. She pulled up in a van next to me and asked what was wrong and how she could help. We said we just needed to get to the trail head to set up camp and she brought me into her car and got me there. She made sure I got up the very small incline, and sat me on the bench while she carried my (very heavy after a fresh resupply) pack up that small incline. Then she sat with me, just being there when I was bawling, until Seth arrived and could set up camp. This was the smallest thing, less than a mile from under a bridge to the trail head. But having her sit with me, and just be there when I was hurting so badly meant more than I can possibly say. It made me realize that sometimes the best thing you can do for someone who is in an acute phase of agony, is be there. Just be present and it will mean the world to them.
After Seth arrived and she left, I called my mom. My POOR MOM I know she’s reading this too, but that phone call also probably saved my life- at least my liver. I wanted to keep walking the next day SO badly. I wanted to finish because we were so close, we could literally see the finish line. Yet the wisdom of a mom who is hearing her youngest child call, in tears because of pain. She was there with me, and heard how upset I was. Then she said that it’s my choice- but if I were in her shoes and she were in mine, what would I tell her to do? Get some rest, and go see a doctor in the morning. Good advice mom. Thank you. ❤️
I felt fine in the morning. Once again, I felt ready to hike a marathon- or at least conquer the Kendall Catwalk. But I can imagine how my mother would never forgive me if I didn’t listen. I managed to score an Uber to the urgent care and arrived when they opened! No line at all.
I saw an incredible doctor who recognized Rhabdomyalsis pretty much immediately. We took labs and there it was: kidney and liver impacted by severely high distress numbers that happened from my muscles breaking down, leaking toxins into my blood stream and impacting two major organs. The next two days I was hooked up to IV fluids, waiting for my labs to become less critical. We had to flush out my system to allow the organs to do their jobs again. The doctor warned me that this was complicated, and might be trail ending. He told me to prepare myself- and he did a great job with it too. Seth found a ride up to the Urgent Care as well and was able to be there for me. I was able to find a nearby airbnb and spend time with the dogs. Nothing helps a hurting heart more than when Chloe Rue is laying her little head on it.
Trail Angel Time
In the end, I had 5 days off trail, with the double zero, and the days of IV fluids. In this time, I had to make a decision. Do I go home? Do I wait a week and see how my labs are? Do I rent a car and follow Seth north to Canada? In the end, I decided to do just that, and help as many hikers as I could. I felt being a trail angel would allow me to stay connected to the trail, talk with hikers and grow my thru hiking community of friends. Plus, I wanted to be a part of it all still. I hope that makes sense, that if I went home, the trail was officially over. This way even though I wasn’t walking miles and miles- I was exploring miles in a way my body could handle: by car.
Seth kept hiking north with plans to meet me in Leavenworth, and I enjoyed a sky full of falling stars at a free campsite with Chloe, another couple of days with views of the Enchantments, and finally when the temperature was forecasted to be over 100 degrees for the next three days, I picked Seth up from Stevens Pass, where we gave a ride to a couple other hikers down to Leavenworth. We spent those three hot days where Seth had another zero (the only one we had originally planned on in Washington). Leavenworth was such a treat!
With the heat though, fires finally erupted throughout the state. The trail closed down from Stevens Pass to Stehekin, and soon it closed north of Stehekin as well. I wound up giving Seth a ride north of the fires, and made multiple trips helping hikers bypass the fires and reach North Cascades as well. Hikers would take the ferry from Stehekin to Chelan (which is an extremely fun and beautiful thing to do by the way); and I would drive them up to Hart’s Pass, where they could hike the rest of the way to Canada.
I met a group of 5 hikers heading back down to Leavenworth, all of whom were from Europe. They were hitchhiking, and I managed to squeeze them ALL into my little Nissan rental car. Thrilled to have caught a ride (they were totally not expecting to find a ride the full way) we chatted the whole trip down. I learned none of them had EVER held a gun before, nor had gone hunting. I learned they had all also spent time in Greece, in some of the islands I had traveled to with Seth, last year. They highly recommended a Portugal trip for us next, and were SO much fun to connect with!
In Leavenworth, I had planned to squeeze 5 hikers into the car to go up to Hart’s Pass as well. They were a hoot to drive with, and they treated me to tacos on the trip up. They wanted a picture with me, and lifted me up onto their shoulders in thanks for the long ride north, so they could finish the trail.
In the two weeks that I was too sick to continue my hike, I helped 32 hikers. I had such an amazing opportunity to connect with them all, by squeezing into a car. Chloe had a BLAST giving them all kisses and sitting on their laps while we drove around. It wasn’t my thru hiking dream, but somehow giving back when I was injured meant the world to me. I made so many connections, talked to so many people from all around the world. I had lunch with a couple from Czek and their friend from Germany, found a hostel in a town I had been waiting to explore called Winthrop and savored the day exploring so much. It was incredibly fulfilling, and I cannot wait to have the chance to be an angel again, someday in the future.
The End of the Trail
In the end, Seth made it to the Canadian border on August 18th, exactly 5 months from when his journey began. My journey lasted 100 days, with 1023 miles hiked with my good dog Chloe Rue. I dream of finishing the Washington and Sierra portion of the trail in upcoming years. I dream of hiking the Continental Divide Trail, or the Appalachian Trail with Chloe Rue someday too. We took that rental car all the way back to Mcminnville, and broke the news to our friends in Oregon that our adventures continued on the East Coast of the world. But, to hear more about those stories, you’ll have to stay tuned for more adventure tails to come your way!
Read the PCT Trail Tale (Tail?) Series Right Here!
- Week One was a Thriller
- Week Two was Killer
- Week Three was about the Food
- Week Four We Made it to Oregon, Dude!
- Week Six made me wana Dance
- Week Seven At Least I didn’t Lose my Pants
- Week Eight meant it was time to party
- Week Nine included a meal so hearty
- Week Ten Brought Comfort From Home
- Week Eleven Was When a Burrito Lead us to an Epic Trail Town
- Week Twelve is when I broke my Phone
- Week Thirteen included Magic Doritos and an End of Trail Bow
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