Remembering an Important Check-In (2653.6 mi +7.6 -136.1)

The northern terminus! I finished!

As always, the complete Tracker and Photos are available for your perusal.

The final days made for some interesting hiking. In Stehekin I learned that the weather was gonna be pretty bad around the finish, and that my Uncle Rich Roehner wasn't going to be able to hike with me. In his words, "You gotta want it to hike in that weather. You clearly want it enough, but I don't." (Also, "light and fast means cold and dead", but I did my best to ignore that one.)

Tuesday night I camped near a shelter with about 10 other thru-hikers. Then Wednesday was a 4000' net elevation gain day. Above 5000' of total climbing. In the cold afternoon I got trail magic from Germinator ('17). He was wearing a Critical Role shirt, so we chatted D&D a bit before I got too cold to hang out and went on to make camp. Wednesday night was the coldest night on trail.

On Thursday I wanted to lay up just short of Hart's Pass, so that I could have an easy day into Hart's before meeting up with Robbie. Everyone was talking about waiting out the weekend storm, but I didn't have that luxury, since the plane tickets were already booked. (The weekend weather was 25-40 degrees and precipitating. The ranger in Stehekin accurately called it "hypothermia weather".)

The storm started on Friday, so I changed plans. Instead of waiting at Hart's Pass all day in a cold rain, I got a ride into Mazama with all of the people waiting out the storm. I called a few people for the last conversation before my finish. And talked with a bunch of hikers. ("Oh, you came down before finishing, too? The weather should clear up on Monday." "I'm actually gonna be hiking at 7 am tomorrow with my brother." "...")

I stayed Friday night in a teepee at Ravensong's Roost. (Ravensong is the first documented woman to thru-hike, and she was awesome.) Then on Saturday (before the sun was fully up) Robbie picked me up for the final stretch. We met some thru-hikers who were wet and miserable and hoping for a ride, and they christened Robbie "Rainy Days", because the end of the AT had similar weather when he met me. I'm not sure if he'll stick with it.

We started in a foggy mist on Saturday, with Robbie unsure how much he wanted to hike. We did 24 miles, which was much more than I expected, but it made sense to him. The weather went from foggy mist to just fog and back. We crossed a number of great viewpoints with 100' of visibility.

Sunday was the day I actually finished. We woke up in an inch of snow, and Robbie decided to not actually tag the end with me, to nurse his various wounds. (Basically a few blisters and overall lack-of-sleep.) I did the 6 mile out-and-back as a slackpack, and boy was it hypothermia weather. Nice heavy snow pulled down the plants into the trail, so walking forward meant dumping slush onto your legs and feet. My toesies were frigid until I got halfway down the border, below the snow line.

The border itself was amazing! I ran about half of the last 3 miles to get there. A bit to stay warm, but mostly out of anticipation. I spent half an hour drinking a beer, signing the log, thinking about walking into Canada, and reveling in the accomplishment. And remembering to check into my Spot tracker, unlike the Southern Terminus.

It's still surreal. I almost can't believe I made it. I'm so thankful to all of the people who helped along the way.

Eventually I remembered that Robbie was sitting in our tent waiting for me, and turned around for the 2000' climb back to camp. (By this point, pretty routine. I was happy to be going uphill so I could stay warm.) We went another 11 miles after eating lunch in the tent and breaking it down. We didn't go farther so we could camp at lower elevation, and not get snowed on again. It worked, and we got overnight rain instead of snow.

Monday was a nice easy 13 back to the car. Well, easy for me. Robbie was having a bit of trouble with his knees on the downhills. It was also intermittently raining and snowing and sunny. Fist-bumping all of the hikers on the way out felt so much cooler than doing it on the way in. I met Littlefoot (the 6 year old hiking the PCT this year) when I was less than a mile from Hart's Pass again.

Some final thoughts, and pre-emptive answers to what will be FAQs:

10/10 would recommend. Going on long hikes is wonderful.

I had to slow down a fair bit to almost perfectly hit my schedule. I believe I could have made it in time even without the 136.1 miles I needed to skip. I do intend to hike those miles when the trail reopens at some point in the next few years.

You can't really compare the AT to the PCT. The best thing I've heard is that the PCT is like a highway: fast, smooth, but only goes through cool areas, instead of hitting the points of interest. (The AT is like a local road, winding toward everything cool.) That said, do side trips from the PCT. At a bare minimum: San Jacinto, Mt. Whitney, Burney Falls.

I'm considering the CDT, but definitely not in the next 5 years, and probably not in the next 10. Maybe it'll be a retirement thing. It would be sweet to get that Triple Crown, though. I'm looking forward to a lot of hikes in the weekend-long to month-long range in the coming years. (I've started to think about the Long Trail more seriously...)

- Happy Meal, 1140

Final Resupply in Stehekin (2570.0 mi +50.0 -136.1)

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Just imagine the scenery, since the mornings have been too foggy to see anything.

Leaving Leavenworth was, uh, slow. I got on trail at 6 pm after a few beers and a late lunch, and managed a solid 2 miles before finding a nice campsite.

Friday was a foggy morning and a wet afternoon. But I went over Grizzly Peak! An actual mountain peak, not a pass between peaks. It was nothing special (especially with the fog), but the PCT doesn't go over the top of many mountains, so it was cool nonetheless. After hiking all day I ended up at Lake Sally Ann, with dozens of other hikers. It was wet and I had condensation inside my tent.

Leaving camp on Saturday was predictably cold. And the foggy weather stayed around all day. Though most of the wet was from the plants I was hiking through, not from the sky. There were patches of sun throughout the day that were very warm and enjoyable. Camping happened at Fire Creek, which also had a ton of hikers. I had to camp on some wet grass, since all of the good sites were taken well before I arrived.

On Sunday afternoon there was finally some good weather. For lunch a big group (I am so sick of big groups of PCTers at this point) found a spot exactly where I planned to eat lunch. It was cloudy but windy, so things did dry out. Later in the day the sun made an appearance. I camped at Miners Creek next to a raging river. There were a bunch of other people there, but I found a spot around the corner and out of the way.

Monday was actually nice. My tent was dry when I woke up, both inside and outside. I started with a big long climb during a cool morning, and then a big long descent on a warm afternoon. I was pretty much solo all day, other than some people on the other side of the river from where I ate lunch. I made camp an hour outside of Stehekin, for a nice easy Tuesday morning.

Now I'm excited to get into town, since I haven't had any service since leaving Leavenworth, which has significantly negatively impacted my ability to plan the end of my trip.

I'm not at all ready for the end, both in the sense of "I have not coordinated with the people I intend to end with", and in the sense of "I am not ready to return to civilization". One would hope that big groups of people would get easier and not harder to deal with less than a week out from the finish. My reintroduction to society is going to be, uh, interesting.

Happy Meal, 1140

Leavenworth (2465.2 mi +50.2 -136.1)

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I spent a few days in Seattle being a tourist and seeing friends. Good times. I returned to Snoqualmie and restarted my hike by getting water. And leaving my dirty (as in unfiltered) water bag behind. Again. (Actually the 4th time at this point.) Thankfully I was in no rush, and realized it after just under an hour. So my first day out of Snoqualmie was 9 miles of hiking, but only 4 miles that counted.

Then Monday was interesting mostly because I took a wrong turn. I ended up skipping about a half mile of the PCT by accident. I'm not too bummed about it, because the path I took seemed to be harder than the actual PCT, particularly the ford of Lemah Creek. I almost managed to get across on the rock hop, but there was a tree stump that was floating as part of the hop. I decided to just walk along a submerged log instead of jumping onto a floating stump and maybe losing my balance.

Tuesday had another ford that I made it most of the way across before getting wet. This time I intentionally put my foot down on a shallow white-water bottom. It was only a single wet step to get across the creek, so naturally it was actually a pool more than 2 feet deep and I almost ate it. Got my left leg wet past the knee, but the bottom was stable. (It was in a location where even falling in would have been safe, because the part that continued downstream was only a few inches deep.) Honestly I was pretty pleased by getting my legs wet, because it's been hot and humid out. (Hot for WA and humid for the West, not actually that hot or that humid. Enough to complain about when going uphill, but lunch in direct sun is still pleasant.)

On Wednesday I got into Stevens Pass, and from there into Leavenworth, where I stayed the night. Smoke rolled in overnight, which was annoying to smell during the day. The climbs were pretty short but steep, so I was nice and sweaty after doing 17 miles by 3 pm. The town has a distinctive German/Swiss/Scandinavian architectural theme, and is surreal to walk through.

Today I'm planning to get back on trail, with only one more resupply at Stehekin before the end. I'm definitely not ready to go back to normal life yet.

- Happy Meal, 1137

Pumping the Brakes (2394.1 mi +84.1 -136.1)

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It's been both cold and warm since my last post. Here's me all bundled up hiking in just above freezing temps. Note the new hat under my normal hat.

I'm planning to spend at least part of this weekend in Seattle, to see friends and hang out. This is happening because I finalized plans to meet my brother Robbie at Hart's Pass on the 17th, which means I need to start slowing down a fair bit. Some time in Seattle seems like a great way to slow down.

Leaving White Pass was a slow process, as it was a cold morning and there was a great little coffee shop. Definitely had too much caffeine that day. It was really hard to find a campsite my first day out. There were over 20 tents at the spot I picked near a creek, but thankfully there were still flat spots open. The far side of the creek only had 6 or so people.

That first night was cold. But the next day felt colder than the night. There was a persistent cloud cover around 5500 feet that I ascended into with a few hundred feet of visibility, and then descended out of to see good views with a hard ceiling. I was supposed to have great views of Ranier on Tuesday, but it wasn't meant to be. The cover photo is of me on this Tuesday morning. And the one privy spot I passed by at Chinook Pass (with 4 toilets!) was locked.

Tuesday night I camped with about 10 other tents. That night was frigid. I stopped at 6 pm and got in my tent by 7:15 pm, and it had already gotten very cold by then. It was cold enough overnight that I woke up in the middle of the night hungry and cold after eating more than my usual amount of food during the day. If you don't know what that feels like, lucky you.

On Wednesday the cloud cover dispersed, I got another good view of Ranier, and the highs were back above 65. That's mountain weather for sure. And there was an operable privy by Government Meadows cabin. With trail magic by Tom, Grant, and Bill(?). The meatball subs were wonderful, and fueled a solid 30 mile day.

On Thursday I only did 26 miles, to make sure that I didn't get to Snoqualmie too fast. And again got trail magic! This time from Steve, who made pulled pork sandwiches and coffee, with a spread of candy bars and protein bars. I've been getting spoiled out here. Thursday night I camped slightly off trail at Lodge Lake, and it wasn't even cold! When I woke up I almost didn't even put my puffy on to break down camp. (I did, but more to feel warm than to not feel cold, if you understand the distinction. I took it off before I started moving.)

This morning has been an easy 2 mile downhill into Snoqualmie and a pancake breakfast. I'm thinking about hitching to North Bend with Maverick and taking the bus from there, but we'll see what the day brings. I'm "only" 84 miles ahead of pace because I'm counting today as done, 2 miles in. Thursday night I was +102.9 miles.

First Frost! (2295.9 mi +90.9 -136.1)

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I got to see Mt. Ranier today!

Leaving Trout Lake went smoothly. But that night it got cold. Literally freezing cold. I got to see the morning frost on some plants for the first time on trail. I'm pretty stoked, but I also need a warmer hat, and maybe some gloves.

Before I got into my campsite on that first night, I got tons of good views of Mt. Adams. I particularly like the photos near sunset when the low-angle sun only hits the mountain. I probably should have been making dinner in camp by then, but I got delayed. By huckleberries.

The first two days out of Trout Lake had so many huckleberries! They are so good that I felt like I was doing more foraging than hiking for a lot of the early afternoon. I probably ate a full cup of the two days. There are some that are on trail at convenient hand-height. But there are more and larger berries available if you're willing to go off trail into the patch. And I was more than willing.

Today has been amazing in its own way. I was exposed for a significant section (~10 miles) for the first time since the Sierras. The views were incredible, both back towards Mt. Adams and off to the side to see Mt. Ranier. And all of the ridges and creeks that I don't know the name of, but was happy to hike through and take pictures of.

After I got back below treeline this afternoon, it was just smooth downhill cruising to White Pass. Now I'm waiting for my pizza in Packwood, and am planning to do all of my resupply tomorrow, since it's getting late tonight.

- Happy Meal, 1124

Wonderful Wet Washington (2219.1 mi +77.6 -136.1)

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Even after a long weekend off trail, I'm still ahead of pace!

Getting back on trail was a struggle. After a late night into Portland, I got on trail a little after 10:30 am, mentally and physically exhausted. I managed 11 miles and fell asleep at 6 pm.

During those 11 miles, I ran into Sunshine! I met her back before my birthday, on day 4. It was awesome to see her again. She was hiking with her non-thru-hiking friend, who I also met back on day 6. It was great to see them both, and they hung out well after I fell asleep.

On Wednesday I got my trail legs back under me, though I still hadn't caught up on sleep. Got 28 miles in, finishing on a climb that made me doubt whether my trail legs had actually returned. (Sunshine made the call to drop off a few miles shorter.)

But everything actually clicked on Thursday. Did 31 and met a whole bunch of new and old friends. Trail Days and a bachelor party completely shuffled who's where, so plenty of people who haven't seen each other in 1000 miles are bumping into each other.

And now I'm in Trout Lake, eating huckleberry everything while drinking a huckleberry mimosa. It's a good life, but my battery's about to die.

- Happy Meal

Oregon? More like 俺GONE! (2148.0 mi +174.0 -136.1)

Have I been waiting since before the start of Oregon to make a bad multilingual pun? Of course

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Unsurprisingly, I took a zero day in Bend. It did wonders for my mental and physical health. I got a ride out on Sunday with UberDucky, and restarted my adventure just north of the Olallie Lake closure.

Sunday was pretty uneventful. I met up with Hazmat on the ride out, but was almost entirely alone through intermittent burn areas for an easy 20 miles, starting at 1 pm. Filtering water with my new bag was great. So was setting up my tent with my new adjustable-length trekking poles. (Sadly aluminum, since I couldn't find the carbon fiber version at the Bend REI.)

On Monday I listened to the start of the new Critical Role campaign while I hiked through a smoky day. The characters in the campaign were in a situation where they were taking levels of exhaustion from breathing in too much ash. (I'm a pro at demotivating myself via too-real fiction at this point.) I tried not to think about it too much, and kept my breathing slow, steady, and through my nostrils only. (Mouthfuls of ash taste bad, unsurprisingly.) I cruised through my 29.9 mile day pretty easily, unlike the characters in Critical Role.

The easiest way to drive from Bend to Olallie overshot north on the way, so I had a bunch of moments where I crossed a road and thought, "I could have been dropped off here instead." I felt a mix of wistfulness and strength of will from hiking those extra miles.

On Tuesday there was a cold rain all day. I was pretty stoked about it from a "maybe some fires will go out" perspective, but it was annoying to hike in. But honestly, Tuesday was easy and awesome. I hit Timberline Lodge for a breakfast buffet after the first 2 miles of cold rain walking. Then, near the end of my day, there were 3 unrelated groups doing trail magic at the same parking lot! I got a cocktail (Dark and Stormy), hot food (pulled chicken sandwich), and dessert (brownies). They even had canopies to hide from the drizzle for a bit, which were sheltering about a dozen hikers in ponchos. I hung out from about 5:30 to 6:45, then did another 5 miles before setting up camp.

It got cold Tuesday night, and waking up to a wet tent and a cold morning Wednesday was not encouraging. I powered through the morning, wearing more clothes than was strictly optimal, since I wanted to stay warm more than I wanted to go fast.

Then the weather decided that Wednesday was gonna be a beautiful day instead. Around 10 am the rain cleared up and the clouds went away. The sun felt so good on my cold legs, since the high today was only in the 70s. The low was sub-40. The descent into Cascade Locks was fast and easy, giving me plenty of time to spend on the phone.

I made sure to walk far enough on the Bridge of the Gods to get into Washington before turning around. Let the final state commence!

Then I had to get to Portland's airport. Since Uber and Lyft and my own thumb let me down, I had to take a very expensive taxi ride into a Walmart, where I bought town clothes for the flight. I then went to a Planet Fitness, where I had a discussion with the clerk about a guest pass. I was attempting to not get a monthly bill, since gyms in general have a bad reputation about that. He was trying to gently turn away this homeless guy. I ended up winning the standoff, and somehow also didn't have to pay at all. I'm still a little confused about that one.

But anyway, I'm now clean, wearing mostly clean clothes, and ready to take a long weekend off trail, after a stupid-early flight into Philly.

Happy Meal, 1119

PS - I'm now posting this just before getting back on trail, but I wrote it last Wednesday night.