Fire On The Mountain

The fires that are burning ahead of Zac on the trial are causing him to change his route. Hikers are being hit with big fines if they are caught in a restricted area. It would take about 100 miles of walking on paved roads to walk around this section and make it back to the trail. The problem is gettiing back to the trail after you go around the fire zones. There are no roads or trails above the burning areas to get back to the trail for miles and miles. The group had to make a decision. The best solution was to catch a bus from Sisters to Portland where they would have a free nights stay at a friend's house. Then catch a ride north to catch the trail at Timberline Lodge, Oregon (this is the lodge where they filmed the movie "The Shining") . Here is the plan: They will pick up the trail and hike north from Timberline Lodge, Oregon to Trout Lake, Washington. They have arranged a ride with "Nobody" (trail angel) back to Cascades Locks where Zac will collect his mail. He plans to be there by Friday night. There is a big PCT gathering in Cascade Locks this weekend that is similiar to the kickoff party in southern California. Many people attending will be PCTA people, trail angels, and former PCT hikers. Many current PCT hikers will travel from the north and the south to be there. Zac hopes to meet up with old hiking friends that have gone ahead of him and behind him on the trail. Sunday he will get a ride back to Trout Lake, Washington where he had begun the southward journey and then head north again. This way the least amount of the PCT will be skipped over. It is frustrating to miss any of the trail but it is out of his hands. The decision to skip over this scenic part of the trail was a tough one to be sure. Due to this detour he changed his mailing address in Cascade Locks:

US Mail Letters or Packages:
Zac Finley
c/o Best Western Columbia River Inn
PO Box 580
Cascade Locks, OR 97014

UPS or FEDX:
Zac Finley
c/o Best Western Columbia River Inn
735 Wanapa Street
Cascade Locks, OR 97014

If you have already sent a letter or a package do not worry because Zac will be hiking through Cascade Locks on his detour and will advise the Post Office to forward any mail to the Best Western Columbia River Inn.