Day 188:
Started hiking at 7:40am and it was beautiful. This section of trail is so scenic, and I am loving it!
Met a couple around my age, the guy started at campo and the girl joined him at Snoqualmie. We leapfrogged each other at water sources, and eventually sat down to have lunch together – tuna all around!
Also met an older couple hiking, WITH LLAMAS! I was told all about how although one is spooked easily, he is an energetic hiker, so thats acceptable. However, the other llama was too lazy, and if he didn’t shape up, he would end up in the freezer as a llama burger! She was not joking.
Later I ran into two hikers I met who were hiking with Wild Child, they were on their way back to Hart’s pass after tagging the Canadian border. AMAZING – THEY MADE IT! After exchanging congratulations and handshakes, we hiked on.
I am almost there, and I am savoring every moment of this. Every step. Every view. Every campsite. And being that tonight is my last night on trail, I was on the lookout for the perfect campsite. Thankfully, I most certainly found it. I had a 360 degree view of the such pristine mountains. I sat there for a long time watching the sunset.
For the last time, goodnight PCT.
21 miles.
Told you it was scenic:
Lamma burger?
This Trail:
This Day:
Last Camp:
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Day 189:
I woke up early today, but stayed around camp to watch the sunrise and play ukulele. Hiked out just before 8am.
There is a lot of tree coverage, so many of the views are obscured, but gosh are they beautiful.
At some point I decide to stop looking at my map. I could see the trail clearly and I was just using it as a countdown for the final miles. I want to just be here and experience this and get to the end and see what that feels like.
And then I was there, at the Northern Terminus. It actually was a bit of a surprise, since it was not where I expected it. The trail faces the border, which simply has a sign that says “Welcome To Canada'” the terminus is to the left, on the side of the trail.
My reaction surprised me as well. I got really quite and just stood there staring at the monument. I walked up to it and touched it, and then pressed my forehead to it. This is how people must feel at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
I looked up at the monument and I spoke to the trail. I had a lot to say – how excited I was to be there, the memories of the journey – the highs and the lows, the “what happens now?” feeling. It was an important moment.
And then… PICTURE TIME! In classic hiker style, I balance my phone on a log and rock and used the timer to take a photo of me standing on the monument in all its glory. Of course the next logical step was a selfie, which I took cheesing from ear to ear.
I hope to be here again one day. I trust that I will.
But enough of this sentimental stuff, I still have 8 miles to hike! I have to get to Manning Park.
Those miles were surreal. Hard to put into works how I felt, but I definitely felt good.
I got to the resort and took my free shower before booking a room in the hostel.
Wild Child is here! We congratulated each other on finishing the PCT and shared stories. Good times.
I eventually connected to the internet and I saw MANY text messages from my dad warning me about protecting my eyes during the solar eclipse. I was outside 100% of the time today and didn’t event notice. Oops.
Sleeping in a bed tonight, and getting on a bus tomorrow.
18 miles today.
Thats all for now – Max out.
Morning Music:
What a Day:
I MADE IT:
Feeling Great:
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Video:
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Post Hike Reflections:
People often ask me what I learned through the experience of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Like most questions about a 6 month chunk of life, its a hard one to answer. The truth is, the things I learned are too complicated and too long to list here. But I’ll can give you my top 3:
1) There is a tremendous difference between being alone and being lonely.
I spent a lot of time by myself on trail. At first it was uncomfortable, because I didn’t know what to do. I started by keeping busy with the logistical things – cooking, filtering water, organizing my pack. Next were games -juggling rocks, balancing sticks, and the like. Then I began to observe the world around me – I would sit outside my tent and notice patters in the flora and subtle differences in the terrain or weather. After that I started talking to myself, about anything and everything really. And at some point, I no longer felt like I was alone – I was keeping myself company, the trees were keeping me company, the wind was keeping me company.
I bring this lesson with me into “normal life.” I don’t spend time with people out of compulsion for company because I am very content on my own – this empowers me to be much more intentional about who I hang out with. And of course, now I love me some alone time.
2) Don’t carry the things that don’t serve you. They are too heavy.
Unfortunately, this one took me a very long time to learn. I was irrationally attached to gear that I thought I needed to “be okay” on the trail . Many experienced hiker offered to give me a “shakedown” – which means looking over my gear and pointing out opportunities to get lighter, but I was too proud to ask for help. Throughout my time on trail, in many small learning moments, I did learn to let go of the things that didn’t serve me and I sent much of my gear home, and guess what? I was still okay – even better actually. I also realized that it didn’t only apply to physical things, but emotional things as well. For example, my irrational “pride” was not serving me and I carried it for far too long.
And now, even though I don’t carry the entirety of my belongings on my back, I still try to live by this lesson. If I own fewer physical things, I am more mobile and need less space to live comfortably. If I let go of thoughts and emotions, it allows me to live in the present moment.
The two lessons above fall into the category of things I kind of expected to learn – things about myself. But there was one thing I didn’t expect to learn – things about others … and it just might be the most important lesson of all.
3) When you strip it all away, people are good. People really are good.
When you are on trail, all the things are stripped away – the careers, the status symbols, the emphasis on appearance: and that makes “success” look so different. Unlike at home, where if you get the promotion at work, I don’t – on trail success isn’t mutually exclusive: We can all make it to Canada. Plus, its really really hard to hike this trail, so people want to help you, and you want to help others. Its a complete and total paradigm shift, and its amazing.
I was on the receiving end of incredible acts of kindness again and again. Or at least I thought they were incredible. Someone giving me a granola bar as I was running out of food, or a ride into town in the rain, or drawing my name and a smiley face in the sand on a really tough day. Soon I noticed myself helping other hikers in simple ways that made a big difference to them.
Overall, many of the things in life complicate our behavior and relationships. Ultimately, people are good.
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Thats all I have for the PCT.
Thank you so much for following my journey along the Pacific Crest Trail!
Stay tuned for whatever is next.
maxontrack 