9/15/2017: Hopkins Lake Tentsite Mile 2643.7 to Canada! Mile 2650.1

All good things must come to an end and today we end our journey. It seems that it went by so quickly and the end crept up on us and appeared so suddenly. Washington has been beautiful and brief. Besides the usual Christmas day like excitement of completing something so epic as walking 2,600 miles,  we are thrilled to be finishing a little earlier than expected because it is getting COLD! There is snow in the forecast and we aren’t sticking around to see if it shows up.

We gave ourselves an extra hour to sleep this morning to let the sun start to warm things up just a little bit before we set out for the border. Last night was cold but comfortable in our tents and it was hard to get going in the morning but we were packed up and hiking before long. We had a pretty quick descent ahead of us to the border and the three of us set out by 8.

We were all in high spirits and we listened to music as we walked. Sherpa had made a Final Countdown play list and it was great. Songs included: The Final Countdown, Closing Time, You’re Still The One, and Chariots of Fire. We were joking that Chariots of Fire would be playing in the background as we ran to the monument in slow motion pushing all the other hikers out of the way and leaping off their backs to tag the monument in mid air. Too bad flying through the air in slow motion is only possible in movies. Also knocking down other hikers to finish the trail is not really what we came here to do.
Along the way we passed a few hikers who chose not to go into Canada for whatever reason though we really wanted to ask them what crime they committed to prevent them from going. We like to joke about that because apparently if you have a DUI, you are not allowed to visit Canada. I think that is pretty funny and I hope I never am unfortunate enough to be in that situation. That being said, there are plenty of people who I am sure just chose that route for whatever reason, but that is less entertaining to think about.

Before long we approached the border where there was a clear line of trees removed to reveal a straight line highlighting an invisible border. Really pretty silly when you see the two countries divided by the imagination in person. Also interesting to contemplate the attitude we have towards our southern neighbors versus our more wealthy and more white neighbors to the north. The Mexican boarder was an 20 foot wall and really unfortunate to witness. Especially walking through depressed areas in the west and thinking about how we are all, on some fundamental level, struggling for the same basic things in life. It seems ridiculous and unfruitful to me, on an intuitive level, our divisive inclinations as a society.

We walked right up to the boarder and then followed a switchback away for a couple of hundred yards before we turned back to face our final stretch of the PCT. We noticed a bag of weed on the ground that was abandoned to avoid bringing it into Canada.

On our final approach we were greeted with generous applause and cheers from fellow hikers. We all ran up together and tagged the monument and then high five’d our monument friends. We recognized several of them such as DK and Dosu and some were new faces. We were elated!

We cracked open our wine, beer, and champagne and all celebrated together and took many rounds of pictures. It was such an odd feeling to finally be at the monument. I am so proud of Sherpa and my fellow hikers. There were so many obstacles along the way injuries, snow, river crossings, smoke, fire, trail crossings, and mental challenges; yet so many endured the long journey and passed through the fire so to speak to make it here.

Sherpa and I had an added challenge and benefit of having true partnership on the trail. We both struggled early and it took some time to find a system that worked well for both of us. Somewhere along the way we found our stride and started a real hiking partnership. We figured out how to work together even when exhausted. Luckily she didn’t mind the tasks I didn’t enjoy and I didn’t mind the tasks she didn’t look forward to. We stopped arguing about trivial every day things and became more supportive. We still have our disagreements to be sure, but I really feel like this trail helped us be better cooperators and a stronger team.  That alone makes the trail a worthwhile endeavor for me. I am really glad that I feel stronger as a couple than weaker. It is a difficult trail and long; it would be unsurprising if it was taxing on our relationship. I am happy to report that I felt that it was a benefit to us as a couple and I will never forget our time together on the PCT.

After the celebration we began the 8 mile trek to Manning Park, where we would try to get a room, shower, and FOOD! At first this was difficult, the trail was relatively poorly maintained and we were going uphill when we wanted to be done, but soon we started going downhill and time went by quickly.

We arrived at manning park around 2 p.m. and went straight for food. The staff was very kind to us and we were really excited to be in civilization again though our excitement was soon tempered by the news that they were completely booked and there was no room for us. We decided that we would take the 2 a.m. bus to Vancouver a day early. Bummed but still riding the high of finishing we started to take advantage of some of the wonderful amenities the lodge provided the hikers.

Hikers could shower and use the pool, hot tub, and spa for free. They also had cheap laundry and a place to hang out, to wait for the bus. We started out joining some other hikers in the hot tub and grabbing a quick shower, then we headed over to the Bear’s Den for some drinks and appetizers. I bought Sherpa, Tofu, and me a round of celebratory shots and we ate one of the largest plate of nachos I have ever seen.

We started getting sleepy so we headed back to the lodge to grab some shut eye in the empty conference room reserved for the hikers to hang out in. Luckily the three of us were the only ones there so we shut off all the lights and attempted to pass out.

This was our last slumber on the trail and it was tough to get settled enough to sleep in such an odd space. I set my alarm for 1 a.m. and with difficulty we drifted off like little hiker babies.