Running Out of Trail

Here we are at mile 2,461 with a mere 189 remaining until we reach the Canadian border and we’re finally letting ourselves believe that we might actually be able to pull this off. We’re running out of trail, so to speak, and expect to finish our adventure on September 15th. Our completion started getting real a few days ago in while in Packwood, where we took advantage of the wifi to make arrangements for post-trail lodgings in Vancouver and book ourselves a celebratory vacation to Small Corn island in Nicaragua (the lack of electricity and cell service on the island was a real selling feature for our hiker brains, unused to the fast paced world.) We even made one final Amazon order for our last resupply stop in Stehekein; instead of our typical order contents of trail runners and a variety pack of Cliff bars, this particular order contained party hats and Canadian flags for our celebration at the border.

All of these arrangements felt a little bittersweet. We are looking forward to a break from the constant physical stress our bodies are under, and having the time for our hobbies and interests that don’t involve walking. Simply the luxury of eating a snack while sitting down (maybe even on a chair!) instead of while walking sounds amazing at this point. However, we know that finishing also involves leaving behind the simplicity of trail life and the companionship of fellow hikers. After a few solid days of rest (and more then a few showers) I strongly suspect we are going to look longingly behind us and wish we were still on trail.

However, here we are with 189 miles of northern Washington left to hike, which is no small task, and will require us to maintain our focus. We’re making a conscious effort to enjoy these final days on trail, even slightly reducing our daily mileage to allow ourselves more time to relax and embrace the home stretch. The celebrations wil come soon enough, but for now, we hike on…

 

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Comments 1

  • Rhinestone : Sep 8th

    My guess is that you will have mixed feelings about leaving your trail life. I think that your vacation is a wonderful idea. Slowly weave back into the fast pace that you left behind. Congratulations to you two. 10 9 8 7 6……..Bingo

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