Day 127

I made it to Canada! After four months and three days my hike has come to an end. Last night it misted rain, a lot like my first night on trail. Around 10:00, the mist turned into fully fledged raindrops that lasted the rest of the day. I was initially planning on spending another night in the woods, but the rain motivated me to get all the way to the Manning Park Lodge in British Columbia. I got to the border around 2:00 and sat there digesting what just happened for half an hour. I still don't really know what to do next, but I'm sure it will work out.

Steps taken today/total: 54,456/5,458,703
Miles walked today/total: 28.39/2,658.91
Elevation gained today/total: 5,099/487,426
Elevation lost today/total: 7,132/461,644

Day 126

Today I crossed the last road in America, Hart's Pass. It's about thirty miles from the border and since the U.S. won't let people enter the country via the PCT, people who go south have to start here, go up to the border, then turn around and go south. Luckily tomorrow after I finish I can cross into Canada, where the nearest road is only nine miles away.

Steps taken today/total: 63,528/5,404,247
Miles walked today/total: 32.13/2,630.51
Elevation gained today/total: 6,137/482,327
Elevation lost today/total: 6,434/454,512

Day 125

I took off through the park this morning, starting a 25 mile stretch that was almost completely uphill. This is the last really long climb left, with one five miler tomorrow and pretty chill terrain after that. About twenty miles in, at Rainy Pass,  I hit trail magic courtesy of two hikers who finished yesterday. They came back down to see people hiked with and give out snacks and cold sodas.

Steps taken today/total: 56,689/5,340,719
Miles walked today/total: 28.97/2,598.39
Elevation gained today/total: 7,965/476,190
Elevation lost today/total: 3,335/448,078

Day 124

Since I was able to do bigger days than I was planning for this stretch I got to the shuttle stop in time to get to the Stehekin post office before it closed. That left me free to enjoy the stellar bakery in town and sit on a dock looking over Lake Chelan. This was the most relaxing day I've had in a while. I caught the last shuttle back to the trail, so I can start at a normal time tomorrow instead of waiting on town for the 9:00 bus. I camped just inside the border of North Cascades National Park, the seventh and last National Park on trail.

Steps taken today/total: 45,655/5,284,030
Miles walked today/total: 22.81/2,569.42
Elevation gained today/total: 3,295/468,225
Elevation lost today/total: 6,176/444,743

Day 123

Today was composed of just two really long climbs with an even longer descent in between. There were also a lot of blown down trees that I had to climb over or around. These blowdowns are trickier than the ones in Oregon since the mountains are steeper here so you can't just walk around them.

Steps taken today/total: 56,355/5,238,375
Miles walked today/total: 28.36/2,546.61
Elevation gained today/total: 8,238/464,930
Elevation lost today/total: 9,200/438,567

Day 122

I think today is the most elevation I've gained in a single day. It started this morning going into the Glacier Peak Wilderness and I just had climb after climb. They were also a lot steeper than most of the climbs I've been having, which slowed me down a lot. I used to average a little over three miles per hour when moving, but I hiked for almost thirteen hours today and only did thirty one and a half. I've heard this section is the toughest in Washington, and today showed me why. However, I did go farther than I was planning and now may be able to get into Stehekin early.

Steps taken today/total: 63,721/5,182,020
Miles walked today/total: 31.56/2,518.26
Elevation gained today/total: 9,243/456,692
Elevation lost today/total: 7,953/429,367

Day 121

I was able to hitch out of Skykomish and get back on trail around 9. Today was pretty boring, raining for ten minutes, but otherwise clear weather. I thought a lot about what it would take to finish on different days, and it boils down to when I can get into Stehekin, and therefore how much I can do tomorrow. I'm hoping to do around thirty to make up for the late start today which would set me up for a finish on the 17th.

Steps taken today/total: 48,357/5,118,299
Miles walked today/total: 25.09/2,486.70
Elevation gained today/total: 5,822/437,449
Elevation lost today/total: 5,711/421,414