A Clinton resident whose family goes back generations on Whidbey Island is training to cross 2,650 miles of wild terrain for the causes she loves most.

Melissa Ross, at age 60, is preparing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to her house on Whidbey solo to honor both wolf-dog hybrids and missing hikers. She is planning the adventure for March 25 through Sept. 25, 2026.

As an extreme kayaker, Ross said she is always maintaining her fitness by training with a weighted pack, a row machine and a treadmill.

Ross is self-funding the six-month trip and has a goal of raising $25,000 for the two nonprofits closest to her heart.

Over the past nine years, Ross rescued, tamed and raised five wolfdogs. These animals are intentionally bred from wolves and domestic dogs, often mixed with German shepherds, Malamutes or huskies. Though Ross is against breeding wolf-dog hybrids, she tries to save every one she can, she explained. The first time she rescued a wolfdog, she learned how much patience it requires to train them. Through teaching them sign language, she has domesticated them, she said.

Ross’s three current wolfdogs, whom she refers to as her grandbabies, live like any other dog might, eating dog food, cuddling her and her husband in bed and doing zoomies in the yard.

Recently, after rescuing a wolfdog puppy, River, from the movie industry — which had been severely abused and hadn’t even learned to howl — Ross realized the animal needed to go to a more specialized home.

“When you have a wolf, they bond with that human, and it’s the toughest thing I ever did,” she said.

She brought River to ROAM Wolfdog Sanctuary in Shelton, where she now thrives. Their bond is still strong, she said, as Ross visits her pup every two weeks.

The nonprofit is one of the organizations that Ross plans to support with her fundraising effort.

“It’s what I call a wolfy heaven on earth,” Ross said of the sanctuary.

ROAM offers training, natural enclosures and lifelong support for wolfdogs with nowhere else to go. The sanctuary also educates the public about wolfdogs, the role of wild wolves in nature and the harm caused by misinformation about these animals.

Ross is also raising funds for the Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation. Kris “Sherpa” Fowler went missing on a hike in 2016. Later, David O’Sullivan went missing on a hike in 2017. The two tragedies inspired the creation of a nonprofit, providing assistance to families of missing hikers, facilitating searches once official efforts are suspended and supporting initiatives to prevent future missing hikers.

Having lost her own daughter, who walked out of her and her family’s life, Ross understands the ache of missing a loved one and will walk the trail in honor of those who never made it home.

“Supporting your nonprofit is the best way I could give back. You give families hope, and as a mother missing hers so bad, I get that in a personal way,” she told the Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation.

Having been planning this fundraiser since 2019, Ross is excited to make an impact on so many people and animals, she said. It is a movement bigger than herself, she explained.

“I’m walking to save a life,” she said.

Ross’s husband, Mark, won’t be joining his wife on her journey due to health reasons, but he said she will be fulfilling the dream he had since being in Boy Scouts.

“I will be living vicariously through her,” he said.

Ross will document her hike on her YouTube channel “Heart of Wolf Adventures.”

Photo provided. Ross saved River as a baby from the movie industry, she said. As more than 95% wolf, she needs a diet of raw meat and lots of enrichment. She currently resides at ROAM.

Photo provided. River is a wolfdog but looks like she could trick Red Riding Hood into thinking she is a grandma.

Photo by Marina Blatt. As an extreme kayaker, Ross said she is always maintaining her fitness by training with a weighted pack, a row machine and a treadmill.

Photo by Marina Blatt. Ross’s three current wolfdogs, whom she refers to as her grandbabies, live like any other dog might, eating dog food, cuddling her and her husband in bed and doing zoomies in the yard.