state: 3/3
Miles: 504
Favorite part: Goat Rocks
Hardest Part: Trying to figure what to do after finishing the trail
Washington: Mile 2146 - 2650
As I walked over the Bridge of the Gods I felt a breath of fresh air. Two out of the three states were done, the weather was getting better, my body continued to adapt and 2 of my cousins would be joining me for 5 days to hike the Goat Rocks section, one of the best ones in my opinion.
I met up with my cousins in Portland and after taking a few zeros we got a ride from a trail angel back to trail. We would begin our adventure at trout lake and hike to Mount Rainer National Park (Chinook Pass). The days flew by and although they werent big mile days, we genuinely enjoyed every moment of it. It was a refreshing change of pace and nice having familiar faces on trail. Although I had become accustomed to hiking with my trail family, it was really good to hike with new people. They helped me change perspective on hiking the last state and trying to enjoy every moment of it. The highs and the lows.
Once they left, I hurried and caught up to my trail family. As we continued hiking through Washing I realized how little I actually knew about the state. For some reason, id never done a lot of research on the state and what it had to offer. I was extremely surprised by all the mountains, lakes, and constant amazing views.
From Snoqualmie Pass to reaching Stehekin – a town with barely any access to it, Washington kept surprising me. The climbs were intense but the views and the people I was hiking with made it fun.
Finally, entering Pasayten Wilderness and hiking all through a ridgeline, zigzagging down into the wilderness. Where we strategically camped, leaving only 15 miles to the terminus. On the final day we all hiked with mixed emotions. it was a combination of all the emotions. On the one hand, we were thrilled to finally reach the end, something we worked so hard for. On the other hand, the realization that we were going to be done and the uncertainty that comes with that.
The day before I had coordinated with my little sister to meet me at the terminus. She would hike in from Manning park on the Canadian side and meet me there. This only made me even more excited to get there. As we speed hiked / practical ran the last few miles, I couldn’t stop smiling. We finally reached the end, and there was my sister, holding 6 pack of beer and endless cookies for everyone. I don’t think this adventure could have ended any better.
Of course, like any day while thru-hiking, there always has to be something.. In this case, it was a new Covid rule. Due to the current situation, we couldn’t just get to the terminus, continue hiking into manning park, and catch a bus to Vancouver, which would have been a 1-day ordeal. Instead, we had to hike 15 miles to the monument, then another 30 miles back to reach Hart Pass – the closest access road.
We got picked up from Harts Pass and driven to Mazama. This was, followed by a whole day of hitching to Seattle. We ended up renting an Air BnB and stayed in Seattle for the weekend. Celebrating and looking back on what we had accomplished. I don’t think at that time any of us could really grasp what we had just accomplished. It’s a bit hard to wrap your head around the fact that you just hiked for 5 months straight through the west coast.. Even today, it still seems a bit surreal.