I MADE IT!!!!!!!!! Coming out of Skykomish I encountered more beautiful trail up to getting into Stehekin.(and a small wildfire right outside of the town!!!) Stehekin is a small town/resort thing that is on a lake. Thats about it. There are no roads going into the town. The only way out is by boat or barge (which is coincidentally how they get their groceries and other things). Stehekin was tons of fun especially because there was a solid group of 10-12 hikers all of us getting ready for the last stretch to the border. In some instances to much fun. Over a early night of drinking two hikers decided to arm wrestle. Cowboy lost bigtime and one of the bones in his arm broke. Insert 'oh shit' moment. We're all in a town with the only available exit being a long boat ride. Only 80 something miles from the end of the trail. The smart and responsible thing to do would be to go to a doctor get it figured out etc. But its the middle of October in Washington and snow could dump on the trail any day. Cowboy decided that the end of the trip was more important. His crew of friends divided up most of his pack weight, he fixed a sling for his arm and took on out to Canada. Stupid maybe but walk 2500 miles with the end in sight and evaluate it from that perspective.
That last stretch tested all of us. The hiking was still Washington style - Ups and Downs over some pretty craggy mountains. The only difference between this section and all the rest was the fact that the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The temperatures were hovering around just above freezing to freezing and everything was in a cloud, including me. And then the rain started. About two and a half days from the border and it didn't really let up the entire time. I hiked over 2500 miles with almost no rain, its about time I dealt with some. Conditions were hypothermic so the only way to fight it was to keep hiking and keep moving just to stay warm. It sucked. The last day I had a decision stop at 20 miles for the day four miles from the border and cross in the morning and do the other 8 miles to Manning Park (civilization) OR say screw it and get to the border around darkness which meant more time wet and cold and potentially get hypothermia. Guess which I chose................with six miles left to the border I thought I'm finishing this beast tonight. Around 7 PM with darkness surrounding i turned a corner and there it was, The US-Canadian Border and Monument. Spins and I both had the same idea quick photo, sign the register and walk the extra 0.2 miles into Canada and get camp and more importantly warm clothes on. I could hear some hollering in the distance and my buddies whom I've hiked with for quite some time were already hunkered down celebrating with two or three more hikers behind me as well yet to finish.
It was pretty bittersweet. Oh look there's the border. No big epic mountain finish like on the AT with Mt. Katahdin. But it's not about the destination; it's about the places and faces that you experience along the way. The next morning the clouds parted to a beautiful and sunny day.....goes to figure. Everyone got up and huddled over to the monument and we all realized that we all made it, even Cowboy with a busted arm. Pictures were taken and celebrations began but we still had to hike 8 miles to Manning Park, the closest road. It was a weird 8 miles of wow I'm done the PCT but still hiking. I digested some of the trip on those 8 miles and came out to Manning. I hung around with my friends everyone figuring out their exit strategy from Manning, the closest actual area being Vancouver, a 3 hour drive west. Spins, Shepdog, and myself we're headed to Vancouver tonight, it was cheaper than Manning and that was the decisions that was made.
So the three of us smelly dirty hikers are standing on a road in the middle of nowhere Canada with a sign heading to Vancouver and little traffic. Then it started to drizzle and ontop of it, it was getting late and would start to get dark in a few hours. Chances were slim but belief was high and a car pulled over and gave us a hitch all the way to downtown Vancouver. And that was it. I sat in a cheap hotel in Chinatown in Vancouver, BC when it sunk in....'oh shit it's over, I'm done. I just did the PCT.' My mind was racing but along those 8 miles to Manning Park I was already dreaming up my Continental Divide Trail thru-hike for 2013.
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