Day 147 (Mile 2643.8 to Northern Terminus)

image

Rob woke up a few times during the night to the sound of deer munching grass near our tent. My head was wrapped in several layers (beanie, buff, jacket hood and sleeping bag) because temperatures have been dropping into the 30’s at night. I heard nothing.

In the morning while I heated water for coffee, the deer returned. They did not seem afraid of us- probably because we were sitting and not moving.

Sunrise at Hopkins Lake. The lake isn't visible here.
Sunrise at Hopkins Lake. The lake isn’t visible here.
Deer.
Deer.

We only had about 7 miles left to reach the Canadian border. We got an early start and the miles flew by quickly.

The trail's not going to let us go that easy.
The trail’s not going to let us go that easy.

Rob and I were the first two people (of the day) to reach the monument. We had it to ourselves for about 20 minutes before other hikers showed up. We spent time taking photos and signing the register.

The monument in the clear cut that is the US/Canada border.
The monument in the clear cut that is the US/Canada border.

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

We still had 8 miles to hike from the border to Manning Park, British Columbia. Our walk was uneventful.

The bear boxes in Canada are called Food Caches.  Rob checked each one for food.
The bear boxes in Canada are called Food Caches. Rob checked each one for food.

image

image

Finishing the PCT is bittersweet. Our feet hurt and we’re tired, but life on the trail is simple and constantly rewarding. It’s hard to believe it, but after 147 days on the trail, we’re done.

57 thoughts on “Day 147 (Mile 2643.8 to Northern Terminus)”

  1. The end of one journey…the first step to another. Keep hiking my friends. Enjoyed your blog, the honesty and openness as the trail unfolded.

    1. It certainly is… though I’m not sure yet what our next adventure might be. Thank you for the kind words.

    1. Thanks Lisa! That’s really nice – though I certainly doubted us a few times. 🙂 We’ll see you soon.

  2. Way to go! We loved following your adventure…almost sorry to see it end. You both seemed to tackle it with such grace and patience. Looking forward to your future travels!

    1. Thank you Kevin and Kristine! At times, the trail was definitely an exercise in patience, but we are sorry to see it end as well. 🙂

  3. Aw I felt a little emotional reading this post, congratulations on finishing! Excited to welcome you back to civilization this weekend 🙂

  4. Congrats.to both !!!!! We have been keeping tracks of you whole trip,reading your stories and looking at all the pictures,I even saved some. Beautiful they are. Again congrats. to you two, Hoping to see you both in the near future.

  5. Congrats you two!!! What an amazing journey. Thanks for letting us follow along. We only wish we could’ve hiked together.

    We hope you made it back home safely and that re-entry is smooth.

    If you miss the mountains, we’d love for yall to join us in the Sierras!

    1. That would be awesome! We already miss the mountains. Looking forward to following along on the rest of your adventure!

  6. Well done! Now you need to do a debriefing for your friends and acquaintances at home so they can hear all about your first person stories, and feed you some more…

  7. Congratulations from Chees & Chocolate from Switzerland. Doing it next year. Thanks for all the great posts

  8. Congratulations! Well done! I’ve enjoyed following you through your journey from one end of our country to the other. I would have congratulated you and thanked you for your faithful posting, but I was hiking on a week long getaway in the Sierra when you were finishing your much longer hike.

    1. Thanks Mike! I’m glad you followed along on our trip. A week long Sierra getaway sounds really nice right about now. 🙂

  9. Thank you for sharing your journey. Your narratives and pictures were great. Karla got me hooked with your postings and ever since I looked forward to reading your updates. Glad you both made it safe and sound. I’ve covered some of the Sierra trail sections in the past but nowhere near the extent you have. Congratulations!

  10. I only recently happened upon your blog….I had a slow day at work today and just binge read your entire PCT adventure. What an incredible experience! I’m excited about the hikes I have planned for this summer, but none of them can compare to what you guys did last year 🙂 Congratulations, and thanks for sharing!

  11. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this gem of a read/picture book a few weeks ago, but I do know I’m very happy I did! Totally enjoyed it all – the pics, the writing, the story – great read. Congratulations and thank you!

Leave a Reply