The Final Week of the PCT

September 2023

The challenges of Washington were hitting me hard. Between hiking in and out of the thick cloud coverage. To steeper and harder climbs. To blowdowns and river crossings. To making plans to navigate around two fires. To entering some of the most remotes part of the trail. To mentally processing the near end of my PCT trek.

But as we continued North, it became very real that only 1 week, 2 fires, and 200 miles of trail stood between us and Canada. We had 2,400+ miles of trail behind us. That still felt hard to believe. The end felt so close, yet it was still so hard to imagine how we would get there.

September 6 / PCT Day 129 / Washington Day 12 – The final week begins!

23.7 Miles: Glacier Lake Campsite (Mile 2451.2) to Campsite by Lake (Mile 2474.9)

Today we hiked into the Steven’s Pass ski resort for a quick pitstop to pick up resupply packages and charge up all our devices before entering one of the most remote stretches of the PCT. We had just finalized some of our last (?!) tricky logistics to reach Canada – navigating around 2 fires. One of our fire detours, near Stehekin, involved a shuttle, ferry, and taxi combo. I sent a final message to our pre-scheduled mountain taxi (yes, really) then put my phone into airplane mode as I stepped back onto the PCT. It felt good knowing that for the next 4 days, I could disconnect fully and really enjoy some of my last moments hiking the PCT. The logistics were set, and now all I had to do was continue walking North. 

The trail climbing out of Steven’s Pass

September 7 / PCT Day 130 / Washington Day 13 – Bonnie & Clyde

28.6 Miles: Campsite by Lake (Mile 2474.9) to Camp on Trail near Fire Closure (Mile 2503.5)

The mountains towered around us as the trail weaved among the granite rocks and among the huckleberry bushes, now bright red in color. I felt at peace. The air was thick, but I was floating as I took in the scene around me. The vibrant greens and reds, as far as my eye could see against those big Washington mountains. It was beautiful. It was grand. I felt so itty bitty. Washington had been good at making me feel that way. I remember going into my maps and saving the coordinates of a small, remote lake that we passed by. We were always in a rush, trying to hike big miles each day. “But if I could come back, I would take these miles a little slower… I would stop here.” I thought to myself.

I will be back for you, little lake!

We chose to hike on the PCT past the fire that had been burning pretty closely. I am normally a big rule follower, and it made me incredibly anxious to not take the advised fire detour route (which was also much longer and harder…). Earlier that day, we talked with some locals who told us the fire was contained, it had been raining all day, and the trail would likely open back up officially soon. They encouraged us to continue hiking our normal route – and we did. I saw wildfire smoke off the right side of the trail as we hiked in the thick, mist. I felt safe as I hiked on the PCT, but it was eerie to see the smoke as we hiked. We rarely saw other hikers, now-a-days, and being out there, alone, in this remote, and burning area felt all wrong. I was emotionally and physically exhausted as we continued to hike further away from the fire zone. “At least one fire zone down, and only one to go.” I thought to myself. 

The eerie but beautiful trail near the fire

September 8 / PCT Day 131 / Washington Day 14 – Above the Clouds!

26.9 Miles: Camp on Trail near Fire Closure (Mile 2503.5) to Campsite at top of Hill near Glacier Peak (Mile 2530.4)

I opened my eyes unsure what to expect when I unzipped my tent, that was pitched directly on the trail – a chaotic choice made last night on the ridge, with no energy left, and no hope for flat campsites nearby. Yesterday was eerie, but so raw and beautiful. I don’t think I had ever been so close to wild fire smoke. We were past 1 fire, 2.5 days away from Stehekin, where our shuttle/ferry/taxi chariot awaited to take us around the last fire closure and to Hart’s Pass!

I was left with that eerie feeling from the day prior as I packed up my damp tent, but as I hiked along the ridge, the alpine glow lit up a sea of clouds, with mountain tops just barely peaking out. I took those ridge line miles slow. I soaked in every minute of looking into those clouds and feeling like I was impossibly lucky to be here, in the middle of no where, seeing this view. 

The cloud inversion in the valley below flower and we hiked up to the top of the ridge

September 9 / PCT Day 132 / Washington Day 15 – Blowdown Parkour!

28 Miles: Campsite at top of Hill near Glacier Peak (Mile 2530.4) to Off Trail Wooded Campsite (Mile 2558.1)

Today we entered Glacier Peak Wilderness, and as a result, entered full on parkour mode. Glacier Peak Wilderness is one of the most remote areas of the PCT, making trail maintenance extremely difficult (and it showed…). As a result, the trail is littered with blow downs, or fallen trees, obstructing the trail. Getting around or over these trees was never graceful, and always required additional mental and physical energy. I would often stop, stare in disbelief at the enormous tree obstructing the trail, and strategize how to crawl, jump, slide, or somehow hurl my body to the other side.

I laughed as I reached the top of a climb and saw a “100” on the trail, made of a stick and 2 rocks. “Those lucky south bounders!” I thought to myself. There were only 100 miles left until the Canadian border. 50. If you subtracted the miles we would have to skip over because of the fire. On the decent, I dropped into a 360 degree bowl of towering mountains. It was crazy how much the terrain had changed throughout the day. I felt like a spec as I stared up at the mountains surrounding me as I neared camp for the night. A year and a half later, I can still remember the energy I felt from my surroundings in that remote area of Washington. What a gift it was to be so remote and so in sync with nature. 

One of my favorite parts of the trail through Washington

September 10 / PCT Day 133 / Washington Day 16 – Stehekin 

14.8 Miles: Off Trail Wooded Campsite (Mile 2558.1) to Stehekin (Mile 2572.9)

15 zippy miles into our LAST RESUPPLY! I passed a sign reading “North Cascades National Park” as I reached a ranger cabin and shuttle stop that brought hikers to and from the town of Stehekin. As I waited for the shuttle, I was sad that my journey would not continue back at this trailhead. Further North, there were 40+ active fire fighters on the PCT, fighting the nearby fire. Spud and I made the difficult decision to skip 50 miles up trail to Hart’s Pass, where the fire detour ended. We boarded the shuttle and got off at the first (very important) stop, the Stehekin Bakery. I had been crushing cinnamon roles at every bakery I saw along the PCT, and I wouldn’t stop now. The Stehekin Bakery was worth every bit of the hype, and we sat in the sun and ate many many pastries before wandering into the town of Stehekin. 

Views of Lake Chelan walking into the town of Stehekin!

We took our time walking into the town of Stehekin, taking in the views along the way. We did our camp chores (shower, resupply box organization, eat) on auto pilot, and for the last time. Being in our last trail town was a crazy milestone – and one that I wasn’t sure I was ready for. The other hikers we saw in town all had their own elaborate plans on how to navigate their last 75 miles of trail. We made peace with our plan by the end of the night, and as we winded down at camp, I reflected a lot on our journey thus far. As I have typed before, I came to the realization again, that I wouldn’t change a thing. I slept like a little kid on Christmas knowing that tomorrow I would arrive at Hart’s Pass.

BIG smiles after making it to Stehekin (hello bakery, final resupply box, and knowing there are only 2 Days to CANADA)!

September 11 / PCT Day 134 / Washington Day 17 – The Journey to Hart’s Pass

10 Miles: Stehekin (Mile 2572.9) to Harts Pass (2623) to Off Trail Campsite (Mile 2633)

I felt like I was on vacation from the PCT, as we boarded the ferry out of Stehekin. It was alway disorienting to find myself using a mode of transportation other than my own 2 feet, and a ferry across Lake Chelan was certainly a different vibe.

As our taxi pulled up to Hart’s Pass, it felt surreal. THE Hart’s Pass? I had heard so many stories from Hart’s Pass from other hikers, as the real end of the PCT. After the Northern Terminus, hikers could either officially end their hike North at Manning Park, Canada, or hike back 30 miles to Hart’s Pass. As I looked out at the Hart’s Pass trailhead, I had the sad realization that my thru hike had just turned into an out and back hike on the 30 miles of remaining trail.

As I got out of the taxi, I saw 2 familiar faces. “Damien and Ophelie?” I asked Erwan. And sure enough, it was them! We hiked with Damien and Ophelie a bit in the Desert and stayed in touch with them as they hiked (and skied!) about a week ahead of us in the Sierra. We had laughed that we had been trying to catch Damien and Ophelie for the rest of the trail, and now here we were – starting our final push to Canada with them. The trail has a funny way of making things like that happen.

Damien, Ophelie, and Spud starting the final push to Canada!

It was hard to not count the “lasts” as we set up camp. We were sleeping just 20 miles away from the Northern Terminus. Our second to last night sleeping on the PCT. Our last night before “finishing” the PCT.

September 12 / PCT Day 135 / Washington Day 18 – CANADA!

27 Miles: Off Trail Campsite (Mile 2633) to CANADA (Mile 2653.6) to Camp at Hopkins lake (Mile 2647.2)

It was hard not to rush those 20 miles. As I hiked, I reflected a lot. It was a cloudy, Washington day, but I could still see the views. I wondered to myself what in the view in front of me, was actually Canada? It made me smile.  

One of the final decents before Canada!

I saw the 2,050 mile rock milestone marker (another last?). I got butterflies in my stomach realizing that in 1 hour, I would be standing at the Northern Terminus. And sure enough, about an hour later… I saw an opening in the trees, this was it. I looked to my left and saw the wooden Pacific Crest Trail Norther Terminus Monument, the smaller Monument 78, and the boarder cut in the trees. 

“It’s so creepy to see it in person…” I blurted out. “How profound! I hiked 2650+ miles to get here, and the first thing I say is that the monument is creepy?” I thought to myself. But it was. I could feel the energy that this place held.

I looked away to avoid feeling the rush of emotions. I thought about the long journey to get here. The doubts. The freaking snow. The burn zones. The aching feet. More doubts. I looked at the monument and smiled while I started sobbing. I felt every moment from the last 4.5 months at once. All the joy and all the pain. I could not believe that Spud and I were standing here. “I did it…” I thought to myself.

When you hike towards something for so long, it’s hard to predict what feelings will crash down when it ends. Luckily for me, I had 30 miles to hike back to the nearest road, at Hart’s Pass, to process those emotions.

AH! Time to celebrate!

September 13 / PCT Day 136 / Washington Day 19 – The End.

24.2 Miles: Camp at Hopkins lake (Mile 2647.2) to Hart’s Pass (Mile 2623)

As we hiked back towards Hart’s Pass, I felt happy that we were making the 30 mile journey back, rather than heading to Manning Park, Canada. I needed these 30 miles (or maybe even more…) to process the end of my journey. As we hiked South (weird..) we saw so many nervous and excited smiles and shared many congratulations from somewhat familiar faces from the Class of 2023. It truly was a little victory lap. One of those smiling faces was Taut (!!), one of our trail family members through the Sierra. Spud, Taut, and I pulled off trail and swapped stories, laughed, and reflected for an hour or so. That hour catching up truly helped to complete my journey. The trail provides. 

Some other hikers wore crowns – representing that the end of their PCT journey also was the end of a larger goal, the triple crown (finishing the AT, CDT, and PCT). Some hikers were going to touch the boarder then head down to the Sierra to finish their PCT hike. Some hikers cried, some laughed, some were quiet. That is what made this hike so beautiful – everyone was out here for their own reason – everyone was achieving their own goals. 

For me? Maybe I hiked the PCT to prove to myself that I can do hard things. Maybe I was out there looking for a different perspective on life. Maybe I just wanted to be surround by beautiful things? I had a feeling it would take me longer than the 30 miles back to Hart’s Pass to answer those questions. And I was okay with that. 

As we got close to Hart’s Pass, I saw Sonic bouncing towards me, with Mackenzie close behind. Mackenzie had graciously offered to pick up Spud and I from Hart’s Pass and drive us back to Seattle (before realizing how smelly we would be). We took our final PCT steps all together, Spud, Mackenzie, Sonic, and me, and I buckled up for the next adventure…

Seeing Mackenzie and Sonic on the last mile before reaching Hart’s Pass!