Day 27 (129)

Miles: 3.9 (plus 8.5 into Canada)

Mileage: 2,650.1!!!

It was a cool, wet morning. The rain stopped, but every fern and bush was dripping. We spent the morning chatting and the miles seemed to fly by.

Three other hikers joined our campsite the night before, so we were all pumped, and yet contemplative, about getting to the border.

Upon arrival, we all dropped our packs and sat around chatting and drinking coffee for a couple of hours. It was a nice opposition to the end of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. That morning, Richard and I hiked up the exposed rock into a wet, cold storm. We spent maybe 60 seconds at the top taking a quick photo. Then it was straight down before the hypothermia set in.

The PCT ended a little chilly, but overall very pleasant. By the time Richard and I shouldered our packs, about 10 of us had finished.

As we hiked toward the civilization in Manning Park, the temperatures rose and we shed our layers.

At the hotel we showered and laundered and ate. We caught the 2 a.m. bus to Vancouver and then another from Vancouver back to the states.

With the PCT completed, we have now finished three of the four big steps in our travel plan. The PCT, Antarctica and the bike ride. The last step is planned and we’re in the finishing touches of executing it.

I’ll keep you posted!