We decided to try and get the early shuttle to Stehekin. Which meant getting up at 5am!! We were hiking by 5:50am – my earliest day on the whole trail (that’s what the thought of a flushing toilet and real food does for you) and we were ‘night hiking’ by our headlamps for the first hour.
9.6 miles to get to the bus. We weren’t sure if it left at 9 or 9:30 so we had to get there for 9. It wasn’t raining but everything was wet. The bushes were overgrown and were at times face height. I fell over again, slipped on a wet rock. The trail that was ‘all downhill to Stehekin’ was up and down, and far too much up for my liking, but we managed to cruise along at more than 3mph. I made it at 8:53. I’ve got this hiking thing all figured out now.
At the bus stop I met Notabear and Comet and some forest survey people and a man who had a whole deer that he had killed in his pack. Our plan was to get the 2pm ferry back to Chelan and work the crowd to see if we could get a ride back to Skykomish. As we were discussing it one of the guys at the bus stop offered us a ride. My favourite type of ride, one where you don’t even have to try! We stopped at the bakery again.
When we got to Stehekin we yard saled all our stuff that had been wet for so long as it was finally nice and sunny.
Notabear and comet were trying to get rid of some of their resupply. It looks like they are getting to the border powered on sugar like I did!
Then someone shouts ‘puff puff’. It’s only Julien!!!
We had burgers and I caught up with Julien. Then Barely came by and was telling us about his night, he injured his knee and someone called Catwater gave him some painkillers. Surely not the Catwater? Julien went looking for her. No sign. Must be someone else. Then we saw her! Oh I’m so so pleased to have seen her. I’m so pleased she is still on the trail and I’m so pleased she is so close to Canada! We had a mutual love in and caught up and all too soon I had to board the ferry.
Julien and Catwater were some of the first people I met back in the early desert days and seeing them again was such a perfect end to my hike.
We made the ferry journey, Thomas drove us all the way to the Dinsmores and Vince drove back to his house where I was invited to stay again. I feel so lucky.
2660 miles. Done.
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Adventure with purpose.
785 million people globally don't have access to clean water. That's 1 in 10 people. In 2020 this is not ok.
I fundraise for Just a Drop in the hope that if I walk thousands of miles for clean water then the people who need to won’t have to. Find out more
Congratulations. I’ve been following your blog since you started. What an accomplishment. I will miss reading about your adventure. I am planning my through hike of the PCT for 2017. Thank you for the insight and the motivation and the wonderful adventure you took us all on.
I have just finished reading your PCT blog. It is so well documented, that I feel like I was vith you on the trail. So honest, so real, all your feelings and thoughts in this adventure. Fantastic photos. You are inspitation to me, as my husband and I are hikers. We go every Sunday on hike with friends. I live in Rijeka, Croatia and we are lucky to have great mountains very close to us. Have you heard for Via Adriatica trail that goes trough Croatia and other neighbouring countries following Croatian coast? It’s a new trail and very interesting, beautiful unspoiled nature. Al the best to you.
Jasminka
Thank you for reading Jasminka (and sorry for my terribly late reply). I would LOVE to go to Croatia, I have only ever heard good things about it. I haven’t heard of that trail, I will have to look it up and add it to the list!!
Well done! I’ve loved following your journey through your blog!!
Congratulations Alex! Great job and thanks for the wonderful blog! Really will miss it!
Oh Alex. …I am filled with so much admiration for you! ! Thank you so very much for sharing this amazing journey! I hope to continue to hear from you in the rest of our life travels!
Congratulations Puff Puff. Was good to have met you a couple thousand miles ago. Been fun following you since then.
seeyasaturday!!!!xxx
Have loved the blog and will miss it! Well done you! Such an achievement! xx
Truly done and dusted. Amazing adventure and thank you so much for your blog. Will miss it! x
What a trip. Thanks for sharing your journey. I will miss the adventure with you.
Congratulations!!!!!! Well done 🙂
I’m following you from the desert. Don’t stop writing now. Tell us your afterthoughts, journey home, caching up your civil life etc. 🙂
Awesome job! I’ve followed your blog from day one and knew back then you were going to finish. Thanks for proving me right.
Thx for sharing. Great blog.
Hi, I’ve been visiting your blog since March and I have to say of all the materials on the PCT I’ve read (including Rocket Llama’s blog, Carrot Quinn’s book, and Erin Miller’s book), this is by far the best account. You have such a way of allowing your reader to understand the full experience of the PCT, which is great, because I need to know what I’m getting myself into. Your pictures are fantastic as well. I hope the PCT was everything you dreamed it be and that you’re proud of your journey and progress.
I also hope you’ve raised a decent amount of money for cancer research!
I’d love to hear from you a gear review and what you would have done differently, given the chance. You’ve really been an inspiration to me these past few months and will probably continue to be a role model for me as I begin to complete more adventures and tackle new things. I hope you will blog about your himalayan experience when you’ve returned, or at least share images on instagram, if you have the chance. And I hope you have an amazing time, free from altitude worries.
Thank you so much for sharing this with the net,
your blog has been the highlight of my day during some trying times,
Bayley
What a lovely message! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and write to me. I’m so pleased you’ve been able to take something from it. I will be blogging about the Himalayas and have considered a gear review, so it’s not over just yet!
I hope you continue to have wonderful adventures of your own and the trying times become few and far between.
Thank you for so eloquently sharing your journey with us! I’m looking forward to hearing about all your future adventures…you are my heroin!
Hi Alex – thank you so much for taking us all along on your journey. Your blog was one myfaves of all this year. Safe travels and I’ll look forward to future posts!
Thanks, Alex, for your great day-by-day words and pictures of an amazing trip of ups and downs, literally and figuratively. I found you somewhere in the southern Sierra and have followed you ever since. The photos make me itch to get back on the trails.
I have lived in the California desert east of the Sierra, and in Seattle, and now near Portland, Oregon, and have done short backpacks and day hikes all over the west, but nothing like your multi-thousand-mile adventure. Having just past my 80th birthday, I’m not about to take it on now, but will continue day hiking, and I keep saying I want to die with my boots on!
I’m wondering what inspired you to come from another country and take on the PCT presumably sight unseen. I wish you many more adventures and look forward to more blogs.
Himalayas? Holy cow!!
That you for your kind words Ed. I hope I am still hiking when I’m 80 – I hope I make it to 80!
This is the answer to why:
https://masonalexandra.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/why/
Happy trails Ed!
Congratulations on finishing the whole trail! I loved your blog and will miss reading about your travels on the PCT. Best wishes for future adventures!
Hello Alex, I seem to have run across your blog when you already completed the trail. I read all your entries from the beginning. I’m so proud of you! What a wonderful adventure. When you arrived to the Canada border I actually got teary eyed! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the world.
I live in California and sadly this is the first year I have ever heard of the PCT. Your blog has really inspired me to give it a go. I look forward to hearing about more of your adventures. And hopefully someday I will be able to write about my own.
I LOVE that you have been inspired to give it a go! Let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to help. Thank you for reading my blog, happy adventuring!