Stats

Start: Tripper Creek – Mile 2,567.9
End: Bridge Creek Campground – Mile 2,577.8
Elevation Max: 2,285
Elevation Min: 1,535
Elevation Change: 3,673 up & down
Walking Time: 3 hrs 5 minutes
Date: 9/2/2022

The Walk

I woke up early and excited for my last town day! Can’t believe it’s here. Less than 100 miles to Canada!

I got off to a quick start and got a bus ride into town. There were 30 hikers on the bus, all headed to the same place. The most famous bakery on trail!

Stehekin is a small town that’s hard to access. You can’t get here via car. You have to ferry on a boat or walk! It was such a neat place to visit and regroup for the last section of trail.

I ate my fill at the bakery, picked up a food resupply, and even got a bottle of Champaign (my friend mailed it to me)! It was a few pounds but I didn’t care. I was hauling that thing to the border!

The last chore to do before heading to trail was laundry. I put my name on the laundry list and laid down on the grass with 10 other hikers. We were relaxing and enjoying the sunny day. The vibes were high. But then Fozzie came walking up and something felt off.

She had just visited the ranger station and found out Northern Washington was on fire. And the fires were close to the PCT.

The last 14 miles of trail were officially closed. And there is no way we can walk to the border. Or see the monument 🙁

Everyone was stunned. Tears were shed. We had all spent 4-6 months walking to get here. And everyone had their own vision of finishing. Of what it would feel like to touch the monument on the border with Canada and celebrate the accomplishment of a lifetime. But that was no longer a reality. And it was out of our control.

It felt like someone let all the air out of a balloon. People went from excitement to touch the northern terminus in 4 days to planning how to get off trail.

One of the saddest moments of my life. I spent 5 months walking to get here.. I was only 50 miles away! How the hell is this possible?

I’m trying to process it. My hike will be over in a day or two. It was supposed to be done in 4 days time. But I can’t finish. I’m glad to be around friends like Fozzie, Library, and Overdue. But what a let down.

Some people ended the hike there. We decided to keep walking. We had plenty of food, so we might as well keep hiking.

The fires finally caught up. Or I guess I caught the fires. We spent the last month staying just ahead and it’s such a bummer we can’t finish trail this year.

But the trail is what it is. I missed a 40 mile section that was closed in Southern Oregon and now this final section. I’m going to hike as many miles as are safe. Then come back and finish another year. That’s the reality.

Walking out of Stehekin felt odd. I realized the trail would be over in two days instead of four. That’s not a big difference, but mentally it was. Only a few days until this adventure is over. So many mixed feelings and the worst was telling hikers up trail that the border was closed.

I didn’t take many pictures. Wasn’t in the mood.

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