Well I did it! I finished last Friday, September 27, 2013!! I beat the snow and am now happily moved into the "Big House" here in Seattle. Binge watching "Orange is the New Black" and eating ALL the food :)
Weebee and I left Stehekin with wayyy to much food, a poster tube that she wasn't to open until the border, and two bottles of Barefoot Moscato champagne. It had snowed the night before we left, fortunately it was about 6,000 and wasn't a problem. It really just made the [already spectacular] mountains look even better.
Our second night out, I camped with Uber Bitch, Bristlecone, Swiss Army, Weebee, and a section hiking couple just before Foggy Pass. It was a little snug, but I was in no mood to walk any further. Champagne is heavy. It was a cold cold night. My sleeping bag was only rated for 30 degrees, which was not enough...even with my liner, all my clothes, and snuggled into a garbage bag. Swiss Army thought it got down to 25 degrees, but I am pretty sure it was colder. I tossed my sleeping bag on top of my tent the next morning while I was packing to air it out. Because I had slept in the bag inside a trash bag, it was pretty wet from condensation. On top of my tent, it froze pretty crispy in about four minutes. Crazy cold.
The next day was unbelievably beautiful. Really, the PCT doesn't let up until you hit the border, it is rugged and steep and breath-taking all the way. We had a snow ball fight just before Woody Pass (there was a 6" blanket of snow in that area). We camped at Castle Pass (3 miles south of the border) with the same group from the night before plus Caveman, who had promised to finish with us. We split a bottle of champagne around the fire that night (we figured that two bottles at the border would leave us too drunk to walk the eight miles from the border to highway 3) and reminisced.
Fortunately that last night was a little warmer. Why was it warmer? Oh, because there were clouds. And it snowed. It was only a dusting, but it accumulated on my tent and was enough to cause wet feet.
Weebee, Caveman, and I hiked together the last three miles. I knew that there were two switchbacks immediately preceding the monument, so I was just waiting for that first hairpin turn. We made the turn and glanced up at the hill. I noticed a narrow clearcut on the opposite hill. The border. We let out a "whoop!" and jogged the rest of the way to the monument, screaming the whole way.
We hung around, took tons of pictures, ate our remaining food, and drank the champagne. I can't explain how surreal it felt. Five months of hiking culminated in this one moment. I still haven't fully processed what I have accomplished. I'll try to put a post up with some deep thoughts soon. In the meantime, enjoy these photos of Northern Oregon and Washington
Weebee and I left Stehekin with wayyy to much food, a poster tube that she wasn't to open until the border, and two bottles of Barefoot Moscato champagne. It had snowed the night before we left, fortunately it was about 6,000 and wasn't a problem. It really just made the [already spectacular] mountains look even better.
Our second night out, I camped with Uber Bitch, Bristlecone, Swiss Army, Weebee, and a section hiking couple just before Foggy Pass. It was a little snug, but I was in no mood to walk any further. Champagne is heavy. It was a cold cold night. My sleeping bag was only rated for 30 degrees, which was not enough...even with my liner, all my clothes, and snuggled into a garbage bag. Swiss Army thought it got down to 25 degrees, but I am pretty sure it was colder. I tossed my sleeping bag on top of my tent the next morning while I was packing to air it out. Because I had slept in the bag inside a trash bag, it was pretty wet from condensation. On top of my tent, it froze pretty crispy in about four minutes. Crazy cold.
The next day was unbelievably beautiful. Really, the PCT doesn't let up until you hit the border, it is rugged and steep and breath-taking all the way. We had a snow ball fight just before Woody Pass (there was a 6" blanket of snow in that area). We camped at Castle Pass (3 miles south of the border) with the same group from the night before plus Caveman, who had promised to finish with us. We split a bottle of champagne around the fire that night (we figured that two bottles at the border would leave us too drunk to walk the eight miles from the border to highway 3) and reminisced.
Fortunately that last night was a little warmer. Why was it warmer? Oh, because there were clouds. And it snowed. It was only a dusting, but it accumulated on my tent and was enough to cause wet feet.
Weebee, Caveman, and I hiked together the last three miles. I knew that there were two switchbacks immediately preceding the monument, so I was just waiting for that first hairpin turn. We made the turn and glanced up at the hill. I noticed a narrow clearcut on the opposite hill. The border. We let out a "whoop!" and jogged the rest of the way to the monument, screaming the whole way.
We hung around, took tons of pictures, ate our remaining food, and drank the champagne. I can't explain how surreal it felt. Five months of hiking culminated in this one moment. I still haven't fully processed what I have accomplished. I'll try to put a post up with some deep thoughts soon. In the meantime, enjoy these photos of Northern Oregon and Washington
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