Doctoral student Mari Hoffman takes to the Pacific Crest Trail to honor her late mother
Mari Hoffman found passion and purpose on the PCT.
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Hoffman became interested in cancer research during her father’s battle with
chronic lymphocytic leukemia when she was 16 years old.
When hikers take on the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail that stretches from the California-Mexico border to the Washington-Canadian border, they receive a trail name. Mari Hoffman’s trail name is “Magic.”
Hoffman, a student in the UW’s Molecular and Cellular Biology Ph.D. program, hiked nearly half of the PCT last year. It wasn’t your typical outdoor adventure. Hoffman was hiking to honor the memory of her mother and raise money for Tina’s Wish, an organization that supports research for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer. Cindy Hoffman died in 2023 after a two-year battle with the disease.
“My mom always taught us that the best way we could honor her or others in the world was through our passions,” Hoffman says. “The PCT was something I’ve always wanted to explore.”
When Hoffman started the hike in May 2024, she was joined by her father, Mark, who survived cancer. He returned to visit during the early stages of her journey, providing “trail magic” (known as unexpected acts of kindness in the PCT community) for her and her fellow hikers. And just like that … a trail name was born.
Hoffman hiked 1,093 miles over 61 days before ending her journey at South Lake Tahoe due to an ankle injury. She raised more than $3,500 and wrote a blog to document her journey. The trail brought many ups and downs and proved both physically and mentally challenging. The experience also brought her closer to her mother.
“I talked to my mom out loud a lot,” she says. “I had a lot of time for reflection on our time together. She’s always modeled strength, independence and trust in yourself.”
While Hoffman had that solo time for reflection, another highlight was meeting people along the way—from fellow hikers and the “trail family” she connected with to people in town who provided a warm meal or place to shower.
During her expedition, she learned how to trust herself. With each section of the trail, she’d start with a new resupply of food and water, and while she knew where her next stops would be, a lot was still unknown. “You’re tempted to plan every step ahead,” she says. “You have to trust that once your future self gets there, you’ll know more than your current self.”
Hoffman plans to complete the remaining sections of the PCT when her schedule allows. She also wants to provide her own version of trail magic for hikers coming through the Washington and Oregon sections this summer.
Hoffman is pursuing her Ph.D. at the UW so she can focus on cancer research. She is passionate about advocacy and fundraising for early detection and women’s health.
Her interest in cancer research came during her father’s battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia when she was 16.
“We’ve come so far and have had so many improvements in the field of oncology, but there are many different types of aggressive cancer that we still don’t have many options for,” she said. “That is my continued inspiration.”