Cody Breon inspired me to hike the trail. Life can be so short, he's told me. Why not live your dreams now? I am so grateful I took his advice and embarked on this life-changing adventure.
THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the Go Fund Me campaign for funding Cody's eventual hike of the trail. He has continued to recover from his accident and is now, remarkably, in graduate school for environmental engineering. I will be taking down the campaign next week, so please donate now if you are so inclined!
https://www.gofundme.com/helpcodyhikethepct
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
The end and the beginning - mile 2652, 10/3
(This is a long entry, and probably the last!)
I've been home for over a week now, living with my parents in Woodinville. All of my possessions besides my hiking gear is in cardboard boxes. I think that's an accurate representation of how I feel: I packed my life away in exchange for 5 months of what was a simple and centered existence, and it will require intention to return to everything my life contained before.
Washington was beautiful, tough, and emotional. (Gee, much like the rest of the trail!) From the first day, the state seemed to be intent on asserting its identity. After crossing the famous Bridge of the Gods, the trail meandered through mossy alders and into a cloud. The temperature dropped, and Strider, Mayo, and I had several days of foggy forests and wind-blown rain, with our moods reflecting the weather. After a welcome respite in Trout Lake, we enjoyed two glorious days of walking around the base of Mt Adams. It was really special to be close to what might be my favorite mountain - I climbed it with close friends two years ago and I love its flattened top and hat-wearing character (i.e., the lenticular clouds that often sit on the top).
-It wouldn't be Washington without a rainforest. 8/24/18-
-Great views of Mt. Adams for the day. 8/28/18-
-It appears this trail has been around for a while. 8/29/18-
Then came Mt. Rainier. I got to see this mountain from all sides and realize how much more there is to it than my impression from Seattle. The day we hiked 20 miles through Goat Rocks was probably my favorite day in Washington. The weather was sunny and warm and the scenery was just flabbergasting. There were long views of mountains, green basins, flowery streams, braided waterfalls, and colorful, rocky slopes. The infamous Knife's Edge - an exposed traverse on a steep ridge with 360' views the whole way - lived up to the legend. I resisted the urge to turn around and walk the whole thing again!
-Looking back at Mt. Adams from Goat Rocks. 8/29/18-
-Colorful, rocky slope we walked up. 8/29/18-
-Lush basin the trail wound through. 8/29/18-
-Another view back at Mt. Adams. 8/29/18-
-Looking at Mt. Rainier from the Knife's Edge! 8/29/18-
-The Knife's Edge was an incredible part of the trail. I lucked out with beautiful weather and amazing views in every direction. Highly recommended! 8/29/18-
-I even got to finish off the day with a lovely sunset. 8/29/18-
-The day after Goat Rocks, we hiked through a cloud to reach White Pass. 8/30/18-
Resupplying in White Pass included hitching with talkative Davey in his 1988 Chinook RV and camping in the yard of enthusiastic trail angel Mama G. I also got to see my dear friends Lost Boy and Mouse for what was to be the last time on the trail.
-Strider and Davey. What a character! He gave us Budweisers. 8/30/18-
-I saw bear number three on the day out of White Pass. He was really cute and really afraid of me. Good bear! 8/31/18-
-Oh, Mt. Rainier. 9/1/18-
A couple days later dear Seattle friends Anna, Aaron, and Kelly met me on the trail over Labor Day weekend. It was wild to connect my off- and on-trail lives and wonderful to know my friends back home still loved me :-). I then hiked the few days into Snoqualmie Pass on my own, enjoying moments of feeling independent and strong but reconfirming that I don't like camping alone.
-Seeing Seattle friends for the first time in four months! Such a fun on-trail "nearo." 9/2/18-
-Just another awesome view. 9/3/18-
Snoqualmie to Stevens was rugged and dramatic and included the first instance of heavy rain on the trail. After hiking near gorgeous Cathedral Peak, Deception Lakes, and Surprise Mountain, it was exciting to come into Stevens Pass and recognize the chair-lifts and ski runs I've visited all my life. I even got to listen to a Seahawks game as I descended to the lodge. It sort of felt like home!
-This tree got hungry! 9/6/18-
-One last peek of Mt. Rainier in the morning light. 9/7/18-
-Big rocks and little flowers. 9/7/18-
-Amazing views around every corner. 9/7/18-
-Great cloud paintings in this stretch. Unfortunately, these clouds were on their way in. 9/7/18-
-The fall colors were beautiful. 9/7/18-
-Surprise Mountain. 9/9/18-
-Luscious elderberries in the mossy forest. 9/9/18-
-Hey, Stevens Pass! Jupiter chairlift. 9/9/18-
-Coming down to the lodge at Stevens. You can see Big Chief a.k.a. Kern's Chair nearby. 9/9/18-
At Stevens, we stayed at perhaps my favorite accommodation the entire trail: the Mountaineers Lodge. It's an old, four-story, wooden bunkhouse where volunteers welcomed PCT hikers. Nathan, Cindy, and Jen cooked us dinner and breakfast and made sure we felt at home with a hot shower and relaxing lounge area. I ended up taking a zero day because it was so comfortable and Mayo was recovering from a stomach bug. I watched a movie, played Cards Against Humanity, and ate ice cream. So pleasant!
-Moutaineer's Lodge at Stevens Pass. 9/11/18-
-Goofy Mayo buddying up to her pack with its improvised pack cover. 9/11/18-
The next stretch, about 100 miles to Stehekin, ended up being very memorable. Some rain was forecast so Mayo and I made pack covers out of trash compactor bags before we left; boy, am I glad I did that! "Some rain" turned out to be six straight days of rain and snow. We had a few glorious sun breaks, but it rained frequently enough to keep the brush dripping and the mud slippery. I spent most of the time soaked from the knees down (below my disposable poncho that held up remarkably well), putting on wet socks and shoes every morning. Mayo and I shared my tent to stay warm and keep her drier than her tarp would have. It was very comforting and fun to have a tent buddy on those rainy nights. Between slow going on rough trail and late mornings (turns out it's tough to get yourself out of the tent when it's cold and wet out), we took an entire extra day to reach Stehekin. Luckily I had an enormous ice cream sundae for dinner one night at Holden Village to get me through.
-Hello, Mr. Marmot! 9/12/18-
-Full-size rainbow! 9/12/18-
-Have you ever seen so many clouds? 9/12/18-
-Rainy afternoon of reaching 2500 miles, the last big milestone before the end! 9/12/18-
-Sometimes you wonder if you are about to walk off the edge of a cliff. 9/13/18-
-Oh my god it stopped raining for a minute! 9/14/18-
-Someone took a bite out of the trail! 9/14/18-
-Love the mop-head anemones and pretty mountains. 9/15/18-
-Oh dear, it's snowing. Am I prepared for this? 9/16/18-
Stehekin is a rural town on the north end of Lake Chelan accessible only by foot or boat. Most importantly, it houses a famous bakery. Arriving at the bakery after the hypothermic week was like being wrapped in a cozy blanket. As I opened the door, I smelled coffee and cinnamon rolls and received a big hug from Strider, who I hadn't seen since Stevens Pass. He'd been traveling alone in the horrible weather and it was a relief to see he was okay.
Oh my gosh, the bakery. They sell cream cheese stuffed muffins, berry pies served with ice cream, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, pesto and swiss stuffed croissants, veggie quiche and ham and cheese quiche, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, fresh salads, made-to-order deli sandwiches, espresso, lemon bars, danishes...you name it. Hikers talk about this establishment literally from day 1 of the trail. Everything they make tastes amazing, and the place is staffed mostly by former thru-hikers. In addition to my first visit, I spent a luxurious two and half hours there before getting back on trail the next day. Mayo did nearly her entire resupply from the bakery alone. I was pretty jealous of her stuffed croissants as I ate mac and cheese! I'm already figuring out the best way to get out there again.
-The pastry case at THE BAKERY. 9/16/18-
After Stehekin, I was, unbelievably, on my very last stretch of the trail. The next stop would be Manning Park Lodge in Canada. With the weather slightly improved, I got in one last night of cowboy camping and gasped at the views around Cutthroat and Methow Passes. Strider and Mayo and I hiked close together and reflected on the trail. It was really meaningful to spend the last several days with two of the people I had become closest to. I had a couple of teary moments as the reality of the finish started to sink in. It became clear that despite the recent challenges of the weather and my longing for creature comforts, I did not want the trail to end. I did not want to go back to off-trail life and have this journey be over. I did not want to leave the friends I had made and the contented routine of walking all day, every day. I wasn't ready! Would I have ever been ready? I know some hikers were eager to finish and go home to their loved ones. Of course I could see the good parts of going home, but for me, the trail seemed better.
-We had to do a bear hang when we spent the night in North Cascades National Park. We ended up putting all our food (full resupply for 4 nights) in my pack and hoisting the 40-lb beast into the air. 9/18/18-
-I love this shot of Mayo and the epic view. 9/18/18-
-Larches and mountains. 9/18/18-
-Mmmm. 9/18/18-
-You might be able to see how the trail cuts along the slope in this photo. 9/18/18-
-Just a really photogenic shot of the three of us. 9/19/18-
-Only 35 miles, are you serious?? 9/19/18-
-Tent buddy. 9/21/18-
-About to leave camp on the last morning!! 9/21/18-
Reaching the terminus was a surprise. I thought I was still half a mile away, but all of sudden the wooden beams appeared around the corner in front of me. I had thought I would cry. Instead, I was stunned. As I walked up I looked at the monument in disbelief, not totally sure I was there and not totally sure what it meant. Strider laughed and swung me around with joyous tears in his eyes. It was fun to see the emotion of fellow hikers who arrived during the next two hours while I sat there eating the "celebration cookie" I had saved from the bakery and drinking a little bottle of champagne. We took lots of photos and wrote in the hiker log book.
-Celebration cookie and champagne. 9/21/18-
-The sun even came out for a moment. 9/21/18-
-What a goofy bunch. 9/21/18-
-Celebration burger at Manning Park. It was enormous and I ate the whole thing. 9/21/18-
In the log book, I wrote, "I can't believe how simple it really was to get here. Just walk! It is so simple and yet so much at the same time. Like life? Special thanks to those I was closest to on the trail: Mouse, Thumb, Lost Boy, Garlic, Strider, and Mayo. May we all continue to walk amidst these myriad mountains!"
That's what was so shocking about reaching the terminus: it appeared so simply out of the woods and required nothing more than what I had been doing already for the previous 5 months, and yet it was supposed to symbolize a significant accomplishment. It did, but that accomplishment came also with heavy sadness of the journey being over and the friendships changing. I felt less of the joy and pride I had expected and more of the fear and loss.
What can heal this? Gratitude, of course. When I recognize how deeply grateful I am for the opportunity to take this journey, for the openness of fellow hikers and the bonds I got to create, for the physical and legal maintenance of the trail, for the beauty of nature, for my ability to walk in and sense that beauty, for generous trail angels, and for the buoying support of my friends and family, it's easy to smile. It's easy to do the work of reflecting and commemorating and, eventually, of moving on.
I've learned so much from the trail and I will keep learning from it. It's time for the physical walking of the trail to be over. It's time to see where life goes next for me and go with the flow, trusting myself to adapt to whatever arises. To live my favorite Buddhist quote, "May we within the temple of own hearts dwell, amidst the myriad mountains." With peace and gratitude, onward!
-Just before taking Strider and Mayo to the airport. Strider is now back San Diego and Mayo in Sweden. Life goes on! 9/24/18-
-Yes, chocolate cake does make everything better. 9/24/18-
I've been home for over a week now, living with my parents in Woodinville. All of my possessions besides my hiking gear is in cardboard boxes. I think that's an accurate representation of how I feel: I packed my life away in exchange for 5 months of what was a simple and centered existence, and it will require intention to return to everything my life contained before.
Washington was beautiful, tough, and emotional. (Gee, much like the rest of the trail!) From the first day, the state seemed to be intent on asserting its identity. After crossing the famous Bridge of the Gods, the trail meandered through mossy alders and into a cloud. The temperature dropped, and Strider, Mayo, and I had several days of foggy forests and wind-blown rain, with our moods reflecting the weather. After a welcome respite in Trout Lake, we enjoyed two glorious days of walking around the base of Mt Adams. It was really special to be close to what might be my favorite mountain - I climbed it with close friends two years ago and I love its flattened top and hat-wearing character (i.e., the lenticular clouds that often sit on the top).
-See ya, Oregon! 8/23/18-
Then came Mt. Rainier. I got to see this mountain from all sides and realize how much more there is to it than my impression from Seattle. The day we hiked 20 miles through Goat Rocks was probably my favorite day in Washington. The weather was sunny and warm and the scenery was just flabbergasting. There were long views of mountains, green basins, flowery streams, braided waterfalls, and colorful, rocky slopes. The infamous Knife's Edge - an exposed traverse on a steep ridge with 360' views the whole way - lived up to the legend. I resisted the urge to turn around and walk the whole thing again!
Resupplying in White Pass included hitching with talkative Davey in his 1988 Chinook RV and camping in the yard of enthusiastic trail angel Mama G. I also got to see my dear friends Lost Boy and Mouse for what was to be the last time on the trail.
A couple days later dear Seattle friends Anna, Aaron, and Kelly met me on the trail over Labor Day weekend. It was wild to connect my off- and on-trail lives and wonderful to know my friends back home still loved me :-). I then hiked the few days into Snoqualmie Pass on my own, enjoying moments of feeling independent and strong but reconfirming that I don't like camping alone.
Snoqualmie to Stevens was rugged and dramatic and included the first instance of heavy rain on the trail. After hiking near gorgeous Cathedral Peak, Deception Lakes, and Surprise Mountain, it was exciting to come into Stevens Pass and recognize the chair-lifts and ski runs I've visited all my life. I even got to listen to a Seahawks game as I descended to the lodge. It sort of felt like home!
At Stevens, we stayed at perhaps my favorite accommodation the entire trail: the Mountaineers Lodge. It's an old, four-story, wooden bunkhouse where volunteers welcomed PCT hikers. Nathan, Cindy, and Jen cooked us dinner and breakfast and made sure we felt at home with a hot shower and relaxing lounge area. I ended up taking a zero day because it was so comfortable and Mayo was recovering from a stomach bug. I watched a movie, played Cards Against Humanity, and ate ice cream. So pleasant!
The next stretch, about 100 miles to Stehekin, ended up being very memorable. Some rain was forecast so Mayo and I made pack covers out of trash compactor bags before we left; boy, am I glad I did that! "Some rain" turned out to be six straight days of rain and snow. We had a few glorious sun breaks, but it rained frequently enough to keep the brush dripping and the mud slippery. I spent most of the time soaked from the knees down (below my disposable poncho that held up remarkably well), putting on wet socks and shoes every morning. Mayo and I shared my tent to stay warm and keep her drier than her tarp would have. It was very comforting and fun to have a tent buddy on those rainy nights. Between slow going on rough trail and late mornings (turns out it's tough to get yourself out of the tent when it's cold and wet out), we took an entire extra day to reach Stehekin. Luckily I had an enormous ice cream sundae for dinner one night at Holden Village to get me through.
Stehekin is a rural town on the north end of Lake Chelan accessible only by foot or boat. Most importantly, it houses a famous bakery. Arriving at the bakery after the hypothermic week was like being wrapped in a cozy blanket. As I opened the door, I smelled coffee and cinnamon rolls and received a big hug from Strider, who I hadn't seen since Stevens Pass. He'd been traveling alone in the horrible weather and it was a relief to see he was okay.
Oh my gosh, the bakery. They sell cream cheese stuffed muffins, berry pies served with ice cream, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, pesto and swiss stuffed croissants, veggie quiche and ham and cheese quiche, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, fresh salads, made-to-order deli sandwiches, espresso, lemon bars, danishes...you name it. Hikers talk about this establishment literally from day 1 of the trail. Everything they make tastes amazing, and the place is staffed mostly by former thru-hikers. In addition to my first visit, I spent a luxurious two and half hours there before getting back on trail the next day. Mayo did nearly her entire resupply from the bakery alone. I was pretty jealous of her stuffed croissants as I ate mac and cheese! I'm already figuring out the best way to get out there again.
After Stehekin, I was, unbelievably, on my very last stretch of the trail. The next stop would be Manning Park Lodge in Canada. With the weather slightly improved, I got in one last night of cowboy camping and gasped at the views around Cutthroat and Methow Passes. Strider and Mayo and I hiked close together and reflected on the trail. It was really meaningful to spend the last several days with two of the people I had become closest to. I had a couple of teary moments as the reality of the finish started to sink in. It became clear that despite the recent challenges of the weather and my longing for creature comforts, I did not want the trail to end. I did not want to go back to off-trail life and have this journey be over. I did not want to leave the friends I had made and the contented routine of walking all day, every day. I wasn't ready! Would I have ever been ready? I know some hikers were eager to finish and go home to their loved ones. Of course I could see the good parts of going home, but for me, the trail seemed better.
Reaching the terminus was a surprise. I thought I was still half a mile away, but all of sudden the wooden beams appeared around the corner in front of me. I had thought I would cry. Instead, I was stunned. As I walked up I looked at the monument in disbelief, not totally sure I was there and not totally sure what it meant. Strider laughed and swung me around with joyous tears in his eyes. It was fun to see the emotion of fellow hikers who arrived during the next two hours while I sat there eating the "celebration cookie" I had saved from the bakery and drinking a little bottle of champagne. We took lots of photos and wrote in the hiker log book.
In the log book, I wrote, "I can't believe how simple it really was to get here. Just walk! It is so simple and yet so much at the same time. Like life? Special thanks to those I was closest to on the trail: Mouse, Thumb, Lost Boy, Garlic, Strider, and Mayo. May we all continue to walk amidst these myriad mountains!"
That's what was so shocking about reaching the terminus: it appeared so simply out of the woods and required nothing more than what I had been doing already for the previous 5 months, and yet it was supposed to symbolize a significant accomplishment. It did, but that accomplishment came also with heavy sadness of the journey being over and the friendships changing. I felt less of the joy and pride I had expected and more of the fear and loss.
What can heal this? Gratitude, of course. When I recognize how deeply grateful I am for the opportunity to take this journey, for the openness of fellow hikers and the bonds I got to create, for the physical and legal maintenance of the trail, for the beauty of nature, for my ability to walk in and sense that beauty, for generous trail angels, and for the buoying support of my friends and family, it's easy to smile. It's easy to do the work of reflecting and commemorating and, eventually, of moving on.
I've learned so much from the trail and I will keep learning from it. It's time for the physical walking of the trail to be over. It's time to see where life goes next for me and go with the flow, trusting myself to adapt to whatever arises. To live my favorite Buddhist quote, "May we within the temple of own hearts dwell, amidst the myriad mountains." With peace and gratitude, onward!
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