The final push: Mile 2404

Written 8/30/14

Posted 8/30/14

Well readers, we've reached the final chapter of our journey. It's been a heck of a run over the last 3 and a half months, but yesterday we officially left the trail. We decided to go through with our plan of finishing at I-90 near Seattle since it was just so easy to end there and we are both exhausted. 

The Wonderland Trail kicked our butts, leaving us sore, weary, and ready to get back to comfy living. Or to simply wake up and not have to walk 20+ miles with all of our belongings on our backs anymore. We thought we might be reenergized after the loop around Rainier, but it had quite the opposite effect on us. Once we hopped back on the PCT, it was a 70 mile home stretch to reach the highway and we chose to do this in 3 days. We had heard that the section was supposed to be some of the worst parts of the entire trail so we were sort of dreading it. Everyone said it was nothing but burn areas, clear cuts, and roads, which isn't a great way to end things. Much to our surprise, however, we thought it was great! Just more of gorgeous Washington with thick forests, rolling hills, and rainy weather. There were a few miles of unimpressive terrain, but on a whole it was pretty nice. 

We also completed our first 30-mile day which felt awesome. It was so incredibly flat compared to the Wonderland and our legs were feelin' good so we finished all 30 miles in only 12 hours, hiking from 6:45am till 6:30 pm. Getting that many miles in one day was a goal of ours from the start, so we were psyched to do it.  And to not be dog tired and sore and miserable afterwards was a pleasant bonus. It certainly wasn't easy and we have great respect and admiration for those that are able to do days like that for months on end. 

Despite that feat, we didn't slow down any, and the next day we did another 23 miles. It was the last full day on the trail for us, but it turned out to be one of the hardest days for me. I didn't have quite enough food to eat and by the afternoon I was feeling dizzy and exhausted. We still made it to camp by 6pm anyway.  It was a mentally tough day as well because we knew we had to have a big day, but it wasn't quite the last. The finish line was in sight, but we weren't quite there. 

Our last day we tried really hard to enjoy the last 16 miles of our trip, soaking in all the sights and sounds of the outdoors. But once the highway came into sight, it was really just a race to finish. My friends Meira and Kam met us at the pass, and it felt great to kick off our shoes, sit back in the car and take a sigh of exhausted relief.

In the end, we hiked around 1000 miles of the PCT and another 150 miles of side trails and excursions. It falls a bit shy of our initially intended distance, but considering all the unexpected obstacles and changes in plans, we're incredibly proud of what we did. There are plenty of places that we missed that we would love to one day come back and see, but when we recount all that we did experience, that seems more impressive. And more importantly, we got to the end and can still stand each other!!  Our next adventure is already underway, as there has been plenty of wedding talk over the last few weeks. And if that wasn't enough excitement, we still have to find jobs and figure out where we want to live.   Who knows, soon enough we might be wishing that we were back on the trail, where walking and eating are your biggest concerns and life seems a little simpler.