Advice for section hike in Sept, worried about smoke in Oregon
Hi. I was planning a 3-week, 240mi section hike in Oregon in September, but with the wildfires I'm wondering if I should scrap that and do something else. The original plan was to start at Cascade Locks and go South to Shelter Cove.
My concerns are being physically close to a fire, bad air quality, no views due to smoke.
Some questions I have are:
- Would you recommend sticking with the plan or going somewhere else? It's hard for me to tell how serious the fire conditions are right now (I live in Arizona). If it's actually looking okay, it would be a relief to stick with the original plan and not have to re-plan the trip.
- Do you think fire conditions are likely to get better or worse between now and Sept 3 (intended start date)
- Do you have recommendations for a different hike that's similar? (250ish miles of trail, resupplies relatively close together, terrain not very difficult, logistically easy-ish to get to/from the trail, green trees/moss?) Some options I have considered are Southern OR, Northern CA, part of the Colorado Trail, the Long Trail, the Benton Mackaye Trail ... all with pros/cons and I getting logistics fatigue.
- Is central or Northern California any better for fires at this time of year or would I be taking a similar risk if I went there?
Thanks in advance for any insight/advice!