A trip over three years in the making was just a week away from kicking off in the Sierras. With wilderness permits secured, we were set to backpack a modest but highly recommended route in Yosemite National Park. Then the entire West Coast seemingly became engulfed in wildfires. As the Ferguson fire threatened Yosemite park boundaries, it seemed to say, “lol think again, bud.” We then looked at Desolation Wilderness, near Lake Tahoe. Same deal, smoke blowing in from all directions.
Sitting in New York City I tried not to get discouraged. With less than a week before my scheduled flight to San Francisco, all was still up in the air. Then, while checking various smoke maps a ray of hope finally emerged, in the form of Bend, Oregon—the surrounding area was just about the only place on the entire West Coast unaffected by wildfire and/or smoke at that moment. I knew exactly nothing about Bend, but some quick googling showed plenty of results for hiking, especially in the Three Sisters Wilderness. And so it was decided, that’s where we would go.