[pct-l] Alpine Lakes Wilderness, air situation?

[Katy Shaw]

Hi Peer, 

I just finished hiking Section J, nobo.  I started on Tuesday August 14 and ended on Sunday August 19.  The air quality was poor the entire time, although it got worse as I neared Stevens Pass.  In the beginning I could see the nearest mountains and scenery as I hiked, although they were hazy - but not much farther.  By the end I couldn’t even see that far and I could feel the smoke in my lungs.

I live in Seattle and found that the air quality had worsened here too while I had hiked.  It’s worse here than I’ve ever seen it before.  Ash is covering my car, outdoor sports are being cancelled, and my colleagues are suffering from asthma and headaches.  I have a cough and a headache.

However this could all change completely by September. We’ll have to watch the weather and see what happens.

A good source of recent information on hiking conditions in Washington State is the Washington Trails Association web site.  The WTA has an entry for section J, and hikers can leave trip reports on recent conditions.  I filed one if you’re interested in reading more.   Here’s the link:  https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/pacific-crest-trail-section-j-snoqualmie-pass-to-stevens-pass-east

FYI I’ll also be writing some blog posts over the next week that have more details on my recent hike if you’re interested.  The link is https://aramblingunicorn.com/

Happy trails.
-Unicorn 
PCT Class of 2017

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 22, 2018, at 6:33 AM, Jeffrey Olson <jjolson58 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> This will help.
> Jeff
> 
> https://airnow.gov/state/WA/index.cfm
> 
>> On 8/22/2018 3:16 AM, Peer Böhm wrote:
>> Hello all,
>> 
>> I have opportunity and had planned to do a short section hike on the
>> PCT in the Alpine Lake Wilderness from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass
>> in mid-September, and now I wonder, whether this will be possible or
>> advisable.
>> 
>> Does anyone know what the air is like there? On ESRI/ARCGis I see what
>> looks like two really big fires somewhat to the east - Crescent
>> Mountain and Cougar Creek. What is the main wind direction, I wonder?
>> Are these far enough away?
>> 
>> Will I be able to see anything, or even breathe properly?
>> 
>> Thanks for information and advice!
>> 
>> Greetings,
>> Peer
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