We made it to here!

On Sunday, my trail family of six officially arrived at Monument 78, the US/Canada border. After 147 days, we completed the Pacific Crest Trail.

There’s too much reflection to be done, far more than I could quickly conclude in such a short period of time. So rather than get into how I’m feeling now, I thought I’d talk about our last night on trail.

Our trail family loved to cowboy camp (camping without tents) and on our last night on trail we were committed to doing so one last time, despite the increasingly colder temperatures.

The frost was worth it as the night lent way for spectacular shooting stars and clear skies, and in the morning we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise. For the first time in weeks, we didn’t have mice running over our sleeping bags and gear, no critters in the night keeping us from sleeping soundly. Even the smoke from the nearby fire seemed to clear just in time for us. It was if the trail was giving us one last positive memory before spitting us back into society, affirming that this was nothing short of an incredible experience.

I’m nostalgic already for the days behind me. Leaving the trail will easily be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. More to come on that though later. In the meantime, my trail family and I are celebrating our final hours together in Vancouver. On Wednesday, Bighorn and I will fly back to my parent’s house and begin our seasonal jobs on Monday. We’re both excited and sad about the final end of our extended vacation, it’s very bittersweet to say the least. However I’m feeling good about the opportunity to catch up with loved ones and be more present in our lives off trail once again.