When we started this trail, we decided to help an organization that has worked to preserve the mountains we love and treasure here on the East Coast: the mountains where we first found had our breath taken away by the beauty of the natural world around us. Our goal was to raise a dollar for every mile we hiked on the trail. With us completing the trail, that totals to $2,650. So far, we have raised approximately $800. Thank you to all who have helped us in our effort to raise funds for the Highlands Conservancy. Seeing how determined we were to acheive our goal of completing the trail, you can understand our determination to meet this second goal as well. Please help us if you can!
To donate, just visit the donation link at the top of our blog. To learn more about our trip or donate, you are welcome to attend our public open house in Maryland, likely before the end of this year. We will post more details as they are ironed out.
THANK YOU AGAIN for joining us on this journey!
Monday, October 3, 2011
2650 miles of reflection
It seems surreal that 5 months ago, we started off on this grand adventure not knowing what awaited us up the trail. We had very little idea what to expect and just took the first step having faith that somehow our feet would keep moving us forward, northward the entire way to Canada. We knew the odds were against us--only 50% of those who start the trail complete the entire trail in one year--but I guess our tenaciousness worked in our favor and we overcame the odds. EVERY step was worth it, whether it was on a day when we felt great and light on our feet, when we could feel ice cold water squishing constantly between our toes, or when we were trudging through endless snow pack. It was all worth it.
Our experience was not just centered on the natural beauty of the landscape that continuously surrounded us.
We've learned a lot about ourselves on this trip and about humanity as well.(Okay so, just to get it out of the way: No, we didn't discover the meaning of life or have any huge zen moment.What we were able to do was really take in the moment, contemplate, and fully appreciate human and natural experiences.) The human aspect was unexpected but very much a huge part of what I will remember the most. Primarily, we were humbled...
Humility: Our hearts were touched by the seemingly endless small blessings and kindnesses offered toward us on our journey. Without cars easily available to us, we had no choice but to basically make ourselves vulnerable and beg for rides to town for our food resupplies (aka stick out our thumbs and hope for the best). All I could think of was what I had thought towards people trying to hitchhike where we live and how I would just drive past, avoiding eye contact. Being on the other end, it really hurt when people purposely avoided eye contact like we weren't there, like we didn't exist. We were truly humbled every time someone took the chance and stopped for us, complete strangers.
In addition, there were countless times we came to a paved or dirt road and we would find that someone had left food goodies specifically for those crazy thru-hikers. Sometimes there was actually someone there, waiting for us with sodas, coffee drinks, assorted goodies, maybe even a burger. We had plenty of food in our packs to sustain us (though we welcomed the extra calories), but what made these goodies so good was the person behind them. This person stopped, took a day (or week or month, yes MONTH) out of there normal life, and came out (sometimes very long distances from the city) to give us, total weary strangers, encouragement. It made a huge difference in our day and our trip overall. Sometimes it was like these angels-in-disguise even knew where the hard sections were... We were energized and reminded of our own inner determination to complete the trail.
Remote Encouragement: We also were thrilled every time we got a message or comment on this blog. We looked forward to checking in every time we had internet availability. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!!!
Our experience was not just centered on the natural beauty of the landscape that continuously surrounded us.
We've learned a lot about ourselves on this trip and about humanity as well.(Okay so, just to get it out of the way: No, we didn't discover the meaning of life or have any huge zen moment.What we were able to do was really take in the moment, contemplate, and fully appreciate human and natural experiences.) The human aspect was unexpected but very much a huge part of what I will remember the most. Primarily, we were humbled...
Humility: Our hearts were touched by the seemingly endless small blessings and kindnesses offered toward us on our journey. Without cars easily available to us, we had no choice but to basically make ourselves vulnerable and beg for rides to town for our food resupplies (aka stick out our thumbs and hope for the best). All I could think of was what I had thought towards people trying to hitchhike where we live and how I would just drive past, avoiding eye contact. Being on the other end, it really hurt when people purposely avoided eye contact like we weren't there, like we didn't exist. We were truly humbled every time someone took the chance and stopped for us, complete strangers.
In addition, there were countless times we came to a paved or dirt road and we would find that someone had left food goodies specifically for those crazy thru-hikers. Sometimes there was actually someone there, waiting for us with sodas, coffee drinks, assorted goodies, maybe even a burger. We had plenty of food in our packs to sustain us (though we welcomed the extra calories), but what made these goodies so good was the person behind them. This person stopped, took a day (or week or month, yes MONTH) out of there normal life, and came out (sometimes very long distances from the city) to give us, total weary strangers, encouragement. It made a huge difference in our day and our trip overall. Sometimes it was like these angels-in-disguise even knew where the hard sections were... We were energized and reminded of our own inner determination to complete the trail.
Remote Encouragement: We also were thrilled every time we got a message or comment on this blog. We looked forward to checking in every time we had internet availability. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!!!
Did we hike 2650 miles? YES we did!!
Wow! We are done! Last time we checked in, we were in a little town Skykomish, WA taking shelter from the cold rain that hurried us down the trail for days. With less than 10% of the trail left, what could possibly stand between us and the border? With just days left of the trail, our friend Liz said, "We've got this in the bag!" Well, I've gotta say, the trail gave us a run for our money!
Skykomish to Stehekin: 104 miles
This this section, we had B-E-A-UTIFUL weather and landscapes. We even still had wildflowers to look at due to the late snow melt in the region. The terrain just kicked our butts. In just one day, we gained a total of over 8,000 feet of elevation and lost a total of 8,000 feet of elevation. It was just as hard as it sounds.
Stehekin to Manning Park: 89 miles
Terrain eased as we worked through the last 90 miles of the trail as weather worsened...
Skykomish to Stehekin: 104 miles
This this section, we had B-E-A-UTIFUL weather and landscapes. We even still had wildflowers to look at due to the late snow melt in the region. The terrain just kicked our butts. In just one day, we gained a total of over 8,000 feet of elevation and lost a total of 8,000 feet of elevation. It was just as hard as it sounds.
 |
| One of our first views of Glacier Peak, the last large volcanic mountain we would traversing around on our journey. |
 |
| Our friend Liz navigating one of the massive blow-downs on the trail...in good spirits as she does it! |
 |
| Taking a break at the top of one of the many passes, assessing the 2,000 foot descent AND immediate 2,000 foot ASCENT out of the canyon below. We could actually look across and see the dozens and dozens of switchbacks going up the steep slope of the canyon before us. |
 |
| Breathtaking views helped moral as we began our descent into one of many deep canyons surrounding Glacier Peak. |
 |
| Crossing a grass-covered pass heading down into yet another deep canyon. Can we see Canada yet? |
 |
| Yes, that's Liz navigating yet another MASSIVE blowdown. She likely had over 1,000 years worth of tree growth above her! |
 | |
| Finally making it to Stehekin! This town was only accessible via trail, boat or float plane. We had 90 degree weather and sunny skies as we rested after the grueling last 4+ days. |
Terrain eased as we worked through the last 90 miles of the trail as weather worsened...
 |
| Garrett taking advantage of the relatively clear skies to take in the surrounding mountains. Any geologists out there recognize the U-shaped valley below as one carved at ice sheets of long ago? |
After we took this video, we found ourselves in a snow storm that dumped 5-6 inches of snow in so many hours. The snow turned to rain and the trail turned to slush. We trudged on and were incredibly happy for the shelter of a tent and dry sleeping bags that night!
 | |
|
 |
| After days of rain, snow, and cold, we were welcomed to a new day, the last day on the trail with beautiful crisp weather. We could once again see the mountains around us and absorb that that was CANADA. YES. CANADA! Right in front of us! |
 |
| FINALLY! After 2650 miles, we are at the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. We started at the southern terminus on April 28 with short hair and clean clothes. Five months later, we found ourselves wearing the same clothes that still managed to smell horrible despite routine washing and in dire need of a hair cut at the northern terminus of the trail. Our smiles remain! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)