Day 151: Canada! It is Done!

September 17, Day 151: 2638.9-2653.6 aka Canada!

Miles Hiked: 14.7 to Canada, 14.7 extra credit miles. Total of 29.4 miles hiked

Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful for making it to Canada. 

Last night Clancy, Cool Cat and I decided that we’d try to get up at 4am and start hiking to the border at 4:30 to try to get most of the miles to the border without rain, according to our Garmin weather report. The only reason we’d not get up early is if it was already raining, might as well sleep in if that was the case. But 4am came and it was still dry so we all got ready and left camp at 4:40am headed north. We hiked with our headlamps to guide the way until around 6:30 when dawn broke and we had some amazing views of the peaks around us. The clouds were high enough that we could just make out the bottom of Mt Baker.

It was two climbs and then an 8 mile downhill to the Northern Terminus of the PCT.

At 9:35 I walked around the corner and there it was!  Such an emotional feeling to have hiked toward a goal for 5 months and then see it come to fruition. I’ve thought about this moment the entire trail and I’ve dreamed of it for years, today it came true. It’s hard to put into words the emotions that one feels, tears of joy/pride, gratitude, exhaustion, relief perhaps are my best words.

The border clear cut

I sat at the terminus for about an hour, even though it was raining soaking it all in. In a non-pandemic year I’d walk into Canada and 8 miles into Manning Park where I’d have a warm bed, hot meal and a cold beverage to then take a bus to Vancouver, BC and then fly home.

This year, we get some extra credit miles. We’re not allowed to enter Canada, so we turn around and hike the 30 miles back to Harts Pass. So after my hour at the terminus, I hiked the soaking wet 14.7 miles back to last nights camp.  And now I sit 16 miles from civilization and the reality of what I’ve just completed.  I’m sure it will hit in waves, but for now I’m nestled in my tent listening to the rain fall on my tent drinking a hot coffee. Tomorrow it’ll be a wet hike back to reality.