Pacific Crest Trail- Ashland to Crater Lake (Miles 1717-1839) For me, this section has been all about letting go of expectations. After evacuating from the McKinney fire we were faced with the reality that not only would the rest of the hike not be according to “plan” but that it would require some creativity and trust in ourselves. Other fires began burning across the state of Oregon closing more of the trail and, while the closures remained relatively small mileage wise, they are spread out in a manner that makes it impossible to hike through the state without complex hitchhiking, 100+ mile road walks, or a ride around. This reality, combined with the smoke or potential for smoke, splintered the plans of everyone who hadn’t already made it through Oregon yet. Some skipped over to the Oregon Coast trail, some skipped up to Washington, some left the trail completely and others, like us, decided to keep hiking north from where we were and get rides around closures while hiking as many of the miles between as we felt comfortable with (meaning what was open and not unbearably smokey). While I had started the trail with the intention of linking continuous footsteps from Mexico to Canada, this new reality has allowed me to reconsider the real reasons I am actually out here: to make new friends and to grow as a human. Neither of these goals require a “perfect” Thruhike and, truthfully, for me, the growing as a human part is probably way better served by letting go of control a bit more anyway. I have had to work through a lot of self-doubt and uncertainty these last couple weeks and work hard to remind myself that these small changes don’t discount the magnitude of what I’ll have accomplished out here. In the end, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the friendships I’ve made so far on this trail and for the opportunity to spend these 5 months in nature learning and growing from the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of a 2,650 mile Thruhike. Roughly 800 miles to Canada 🥳