The first thing I do when I decide to get up in the morning is open the valve on my air mattress. This forces me to get up. Today, when I pulled in the valve, it came all the way off. Well, at least it lasted me almost exactly one thru-hike. I was able to get the valve back on so it holds air for tonight.
The weather today was perfect. Clear blue skies and cool temperatures that were perfect for hiking. Just before lunch, I made it to Hart’s Pass, the last road before Canada. This was the last possible place for the trail to be closed so making it past there made me ecstatic.
I tried to hike slower today and take more breaks. I really wanted to enjoy the last day. I passed a lot of people going south. Some flipped to the border so they could beat snow in the North Cascades, others finished the trail and hiked back to Hart’s Pass instead of going into Canada. I even saw my friend Max from Kickball. I knew he was hiking the Washington section but didn’t think I’d see him.
That’s the fire that is burning on the border. There were signs at the trailhead saying it’s about 10 miles east of the PCT. As long as the wind stays blowing east, we should have a beautiful day tomorrow.
Our campsite is in a nice little bowl on top of a ridge. The views around us are great and we’re mostly blocked from the wind. It’s hard to ask for a much better last night on trail.
