oh, canada

i've been back in civilization for a few days now, letting myself get used to not hiking. the usual questions of "what next?" continue to come up, but so far i'm just letting them roll off me like water in a three-day rainstorm. "next" will take care of itself. i mean, it's coming no matter what i do, so i'll just enjoy some rest for now.

the final stretch of trail from stehekin to the border was magnificent. one evening i even got chills as i walked the final few miles to camp. the rugged peaks, crisp air, and late sunlight combined in a special way and i had to stop and just soak it in. i'm glad i had such perfect weather for the finish, as many hikers end up in rain - or even snow - and miss out on much of the scenery.




my last day felt a little anticlimactic. hiking alone, i came around a corner and there it was: a few pieces of wood and some words telling me the path i was on was at an end. i took a long break there, waiting for some profound feeling of enlightenment - or at the very least a feeling of loss - to set in. alas, i was largely void of thoughts or feelings and finally roused myself enough to take the requisite pictures. i knew that i would want them later, especially if/when i had stronger feelings about the moment. then, i hiked the unremarkable and endless 8+ miles of trail and roads to the manning park lodge.

it was a canadian flavoured tourist trap replete with colorful clothes, overpriced food and lodging, and people intent on cramming as much relaxation into a weekend as possible. but they all seemed so happy... in something akin to shock i inquired about the bus that runs to vancouver once a day and a room, but was happy to learn they had a hostel available for less than a fifth of the cost of the lodge. after a very big, very expensive meal, i settled in at the hostel as the only guest for the night. oliver, the caretaker, was an oasis of hospitality and friendship - even letting me do my laundry in the non-guest-laundry room.

the next day i caught the only bus to vancouver, b.c. whereupon i began figuring out where and with whom i was going to stay that night. my friends calhan and liz stepped up to the plate and i pitched myself down to bellingham for the night on an amtrak fastball (where is this baseball metaphor crap coming from??). finally, on wednesday i took a train the rest of the way down to vancouver, wa and was finally "home."

the end.


this photo is the end product of over thirty attempts. and it's not even that good.

got to manning park yesterday afternoon. you could almost smell the universal health care up there. Ill be back in the couv tomorrow and get this blog updated.

glacier peak wilderness

to any hikers reading this: take the original trail through the glacier peak wilderness.



yes, there are blowdowns, some really big ones too, but there are obvious ways around, under, or over all of them.







yes, there are potentially difficult water crossings, but nothing worse than what any thru-hiker has already had to deal with.






yes, it is a physically demanding section to get through, but it was also one of the most beautiful and rewarding sections and possibly my favorite time on the trail. the views are simply stunning.




as for specifics, the trail condition update here was pretty well done. the trail is actually in fantastic shape all the way up to pumice creek. there is obvious evidence of major trail work in the form of cleared blowdowns and new bridges. this means there's really only about 20 miles of difficult trail to get through, and as i said before, it's not that difficult. the milk creek crossing was probably my most dangerous moment. i chose to jump between two large boulders where the original trail crosses the creek, but several other hikers i spoke with took the new, uncompleted trail down to the newly constructed bridge. this sounded like a much safer option, though a trail crew was actively blasting down that way when i hiked through.

it was great to reach stehekin in time for the last shuttle. a big meal and a trip to the world famous bakery was just what i needed to fuel up for the home stretch.

stevens pass, wa

Made it to stevens pass. Less than 200 miles to go and feelin good.










in skykomish i purchased the single most weirdest, yet most excellent resupply foodstuff of my entire hike. i loved this stuff. on cookies, on sandwiches, on dry ramen, straight into my mouth, etc... it made my day every time.

snoqualmie pass, wa

my three hiking days between white pass and snoqualmie pass can be summed up with one word: wet. from the time my friend john dropped me off in a light mist, until my cousin hanna picked me up between heavy rain showers, i was basically soaked (and usually in some stage of cold). the original plan had been for me to take four days to get into snoqualmie but as i grew more fed up with the conditions i kept speeding up my hiking.

i think i took two pictures in that entire 100 mile stretch since most of the time i had my camera buried deep in my pack to keep it dry. as a bonus, being constantly wet led to some new blisters and chafing in places i've never had the pleasure of experiencing them before.

but my stay with andy and hanna was great. lots of food (misir wot for breakfast? absolutely!!), laughs, and dry clothes - the perfect cure for what ailed me and i thoroughly enjoyed my three nights with them. thanks guys!

white pass, wa

i'm at the tail end of a triple zero back in the 'couv. i've hiked to white pass so far and definitely feel i'm on the home stretch now - only 350 miles to go. with another day off planned at snoqualmie pass, trail angels at stevens pass, and the stop in stehekin being the last one of the entire hike, these next couple weeks are going to fly by.

as for the most recent bit of hiking: a couple guys from e.n.d. shoes met tomato and i at the bridge of the gods as we entered washington. they brought us some new shoes and took a few pictures. overall, i've been pretty happy with the stumptowns i've hiked in. i like the lightweight shoes and the lightweight impact e.n.d. is trying to have.

the trail in washington feels great. i don't know what it is exactly - the green forests, soft trails, beautiful mountain views, berries coming into season, fewer mosquitos (so far), etc... - but there's no place like home, and the trail in washington feels like home to me.

went over the goat rocks on friday and john grisso met me at white pass. we'd intended to hike through the goat rocks wilderness together, but a back injury prevented him from hiking and i went ahead and finished the section a day early, which is what led to my triple zero. hope my body remembers how to hike! the last time i hiked the goat rocks it was in a storm with rain, hail and snow, so i was really looking forward to seeing some great views this time. i was pretty bummed when it was cloudy and foggy the morning i started out. it did clear somewhat by the afternoon and i got a few good seconds of views southward as i ate lunch. when i reached white pass and the car, tomato was getting ready to hike on and we said our goodbyes. he's got to keep up a quicker pace because of scheduling back home so i probably won't see him again until after the hike is over.

time to get back out there...

washington, my home

what, you've never heard our state song?

the past couple days i've been mulling over the theme of "feast or famine" on a thru-hike. hmm, maybe "highs and lows" is more appropriate. but i digress...


recently, the weather has been hot. really hot. if you live on the west coast, perhaps you've noticed? and as i've continued to put in high-mileage days, my thoughts turn towards huge, cold drinks more and more frequently. just before getting to sisters, oregon i was really feeling drained. my body was still recovering from the 62+ miles i'd hiked the day before, and the temperature was climbing well into the 90's as i toiled upward through an old, shadeless burn - i was thirsty. i mean, thirsty. as in, actually looking forward to the "lillypad pond" water my guidebook told me was coming up. then, a half-hour after drinking the pond water (delicious) we made it to the road and found a cooler full of trail magic. ice-cold pepsi and coors beer and probably 50 snickers bars and oreo packs. after i downed two beers in about a minute we hitched into sisters. then, as tomato and i were plowing through our 32 oz milkshakes and he was telling me he'd also just drunk two 32 oz mountain dews while i was in the post office, we contemplated the emotional highs and lows of the feast or famine lifestyle.

friday afternoon as i was climbing up the shoulder of mount hood, fixated on the oasis of timberline lodge, i was once again in the throes of extreme thirst. it is such an unpleasant, and consuming feeling. then i hit the wyeast cafeteria and proceeded to gulp down 96 ounces of lemonade and blue powerade from their soda fountain. it was shocking how quickly i went from desire to almost being nauseous i was so full. i still managed to get down a pesto sandwich and fries, and went back to order a bowl of chili. that's when the cook came up to the counter and asked if i wanted some garlic and cheese breadsticks. apparently they were left over from a lunch and going to be thrown out. i said absolutely and took the entire pan - about 14 i think! talk about a freebie.


finally, on saturday i limped down (way, way, way down over 4000 feet) into cascade locks in the late afternoon sun, just happy to be taking a couple days off and my friend john was patiently waiting for me in the charburger parking lot. on the drive back to vancouver i drank a half gallon of chocolate milk and an entire box of ice cream sandwiches - over 2700 calories - then headed to a wedding with a great dinner and microbrew beers. between all the family and friends and the fantastic comestibles, i was on sensory overload.

peaks and valleys. highs and lows. feast or famine. call it what you will, it's living life and it sure ain't boring.

beauty and the beast. my toe hasn't been the same since my 62 miler.