The end
Well, that’s it. I made it.
The last day on trail felt just like every other day. I walked for 10 hours and then there it was, Trail Pass. An unremarkable junction with a little sign pointing the way off the PCT and down to Horseshoe Meadows. I got there around 5 pm and there was no one at all around. It was a little like seeing a shooting star and turning to tell someone and realizing that no one else was looking in the same direction at the same time.
Then I walked briskly down off the PCT and met my parents where they were walking up from the trailhead.
I am happy to be done, but it doesn’t quite feel real. I don’t know exactly what to say. Mostly, I just want to say thank you: to my friends and family that sent packages and letters and words of support, and came to see me on trail and had more confidence than I did that I would finish this thing; to my fellow thru-hikers who got me through many a hard day; to the kind people who picked me up on the side of the road or offered free food or left cold sodas in coolers; and to everyone who made it possible for there to even be a trail that runs continuously from Mexico to Canada.
It’s been an excellent adventure. Challenging in so many ways, and very very long, but also full of joy.
Back to the real world for me. The hardest part. Wish me luck!