September 25, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: Manning Park Lodge, B.C.
Miles: 15

Adrian: We've finished the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail! It's over. Done. Complete.

Last night it rained the hardest it has the whole trip. On and off, it came down all night. Fortunately, we were camped on nice grass (there were mule deer grazing around us for part of the night), with a good incline and natural trenching for proper drainage. Because the site was perfect, we were perfectly dry. The morning dawned partly cloudy and the sun came out for the 7-mile hike to the border. Camped nearby were Caterpillar, Landshark, and Jesse. Hoffa and Clearwater were ahead about 3 miles and would wait for us to finish together according to plan.

As we worked our way to the monument, the pine forest gave way to a thin strip of clear-cut signaling the border. We stepped off trail and there it was below us, the northern terminus of the PCT. I tried to take a picture but the camera took a crapper. No worries though, Hoffa has a camera that uses the same memory card.

A few more switchbacks and we were there. The group whooped and yelled with the excitement that only long distance hikers can at the end of a journey. We drank some whiskey and popped open the mini champagne bottles our family sent us. Jesse had a cigar and Jack Daniels and a few party poppers. As Doc would say, "a good time was had by all".

The last 8 miles to the road went quick and we dispatched the last 1,000 foot climb in style...effortlessly.

Just before reaching the road, nature demanded I spend a minute off trail. After finishing that business, I heard my Mom yelling congrats. I sped along the last 100 meters and the saw her, Tanya, Cormac and the two girls. Hoffa's mom and dad were there too. I thought I might cry at the end but I was too happy for that. How nice it was to have family at the end...thanks you guys! We opened a Perrier-Jouet bottle of champagne Tanya treated us, Jesse, Hoffa, Caterpillar, Landshark. Hiker heaven!

Thanks for following our journal. It's been a great trip and I hope you've enjoyed the journey as much as we have. We'll be posting a few more entries in the next couple days to record our final thoughts, do some gear reviews and give some advice for prospective through-hikers. I'll also give updates at months 6 and 12 to document re-entry into real life after the hike.

I'm sad this adventure has come to an end, but they all must sooner or later, however, new ones are already brewing on the horizon.

Kirsten: So it ends. Just like that - coming down a switchback - the PCT and my five-month adventure is over. As we approached the northern terminus and our friends started their celebratory whoops, I exhaled. That's what I mustered, one long breath. I welled up and almost cried. I tried to think of something really profound. Nothing materialized and I never broke down into a weeping, hugging mass with Adrian and our friends. I stood and breathed.

The atmosphere swirling around me was decidedly euphoric. I stood there for a minute and let the nearly simultaneous waves of joy, fear and relief wash over me. Finally the cheering and laughter snapped me back and I joined the group in photos and toasts. I can't say whether a thru-hiker should finish alone or with friends. Maybe I would have been more emotional if I had been on my own. I sort of think my reaction would have been the same regardless of who was or wasn't there.

Any cerebral moments were immediately cut short when Adrian trotted back to the group sans clothing and only bright neon orange briefs and a matching sweatband. This was the end-of-the-border outfit my brother Rob and his girlfriend, Natalie, sent us. I received a white unitard and orange sweatband. Classy.

When we finally packed up our things and made it the eight miles to Manning Park, our family was there waiting for us. Adrian's mom, sister, her husband and their two children were at the trailhead - champagne and treats in tow - along with Hoffa's parents. This was overwhelming and I was relieved to have Clearwater and Jesse around to share some of the familial limelight.

It's going to take me a few days before I realize what I did. It's an accomplishment for sure. At least that's what everyone keeps telling me. I don't really feel successful though. Certificates and awards would seem silly and out of place at this moment.

If you want to talk about achievements and success, it was the moment I left what was safe and secure and took my first step on the PCT. If I had quit after that first day I wouldn't have felt like a total failure. It was in that moment of true risk - not bungee jumping risk - I mean leaving-what-you-know- and-trying something-that-you-will- most-likely-fail-at-risk, when I tasted freedom for the first time in my life.

In that moment the PCT didn't seem so impossible anymore. Nothing did.