Susanne's Adventure Journal

I've now been back in civilization for 2 weeks. The adjustment has been weird. I expected to forget some of the societal norms we forego on the trail (e.g. remembering to put on deodorant, changing your shirt every day), but I didn't expect everything to be exactly as I left it. After going through so many different challenges, experiences, and personal growth on the trail, it was a bit of a shock to realize I was falling back into the same patterns I had been accustomed to pre-trail. It was almost as if I had dreamed the PCT experience. The thing that constantly reminded me that the journey was real was how much my feet HURT. I talked about my feet with some fellow hikers as we were approaching Canada and we all had a similar sensation in our feet. They felt partially numb.  I figured this had to be from the obvious swelling going on. My toes looked like they were inflated ballons. However, after a couple days of rest the numbness started to go away. It turned out that the...

3.7 PCT miles, plus approx 8 miles to Manning Park I attempted to sleep in. It was cold, wet, and I didn't have much to do besides get up and hike, so that is what I decided to do. It was still cold this morning with the cloud layer hanging low. The vegetation had a lot of water on it, so I dressed in full rain gear and headed down the trail. At one point it started to sprinkle, so I pulled out the protective cover for my camera. I happened to check where I was on the trail and it was only 0.2 mile to the Canadian border. A wet, fall morning on the PCT. I walked a little further and came upon Bam Bam staring at the monument. I walked up to it and we both talked about how we couldn't believe that we had finally made it. We then sat down in front of the monument, had a snack and exchanged stories about our experiences in the Sierra. Monument 76. The PCT Northern Terminus. The Us-Canadian Border. Soon after Taylor and the Swiss (loudly) ca...

23.3 PCT miles It was my last full day of hiking today. Tomorrow will probably be about a half day of hiking to get to Manning Park, BC. Today is also supposed to be the day the newest storm system hits, with this first day having the highest chance of rain. Yesterday I had heard that the chance of rain may not have been as high as originally forecast, so that, along with the probability of not hiking as far today, allowed me to get up a little later than I have been the past couple days. Even so, it still seemed to be earlier than everyone else on the trail. Morning grouse herding on the trail. I walked for a while, watching the morning light hit the mountains. The sky was incredibly clear. I took that as a good sign as the forecast I had last looked at predicted it would be cloudy in the morning. Morning view from the trail. Another morning view from the trail. I had a similar morning to the past couple days, being passed early on by Flame, and T...

26.8 PCT miles I picked up the trail this morning, continuing the descent I had started yesterday. I wanted to get in good miles again today, so that I could be ahead of the storm that was going to hit tomorrow. Right around first light I passed a campsite. It looked more like an encampment. This must be where the hoard of people I saw yesterday had stopped. I couldn't even count how many tents were there. I hit some switchbacks and headed down. I soon reached the 2600 mile marker, the last of the 100 mile markers on the trail. I only have about 50 miles to the border and about 59 more miles to Manning Park. 2600 miles! Morning light on the surrounding mountains. The PCT. Sunlight streaming through. At the bottom of the descent,  I walked through a valley, getting pretty views of the surrounding mountains through autumn foliage. View from the trail. The PCT. View from the trail. Then, I had my last “big” climb of the PCT. I foll...

26.9 PCT miles Today was the day of the long climb. After High Bridge, the PCT does about a 26 mile uphill climb. Luckily, because it is so long, there are parts of it that won't be as steep. Part of the group I had been hiking around had gotten permits (we are technically in North Cascades National Park) to camp at a campground 5 miles past High Bridge. I got up early enough, and they got up late enough, that I caught up to that group. There were also other thru-hikers camped there that I had never seen before. It looks like everyone is bunched up and the bubble of hikers moving through the area just got larger. For most of the morning and early afternoon the trail followed a creek, moving up in elevation along the hillside next to it. At the lower elevations there was some amazingly fragrant plant that smelled a bit cinnamon-y. I ran into a problem early on when I stubbed my toe on a rock and the entire front part of my shoe spit open. At least they only have to last m...