LAST DAY ON THE PCT PCT 9/20 Day 28 Saturday Miles: 10+ Alarm goes off at 6:15am. Snooze a bit, but Ryan has been up since 5:30am so I better get moving. Pack up pretty quickly (finally!) eat breakfast and marvel at how warm it is this morning. As we hike the 4/10 mile side trail back to the PCT, I am roasting and shed top & bottom layers right away. The early morning sunlight coming through the trees is so lovely; we stop and take numerous pictures before booking it down the trail. Fortunately, about 95% is downhill- we feel spoiled and start groaning anytime we gain even a few feet of elevation. Finally, we emerge from the trees onto a sunny ridge. Or, I should say, a WIND BLOWING LIKE CRAZY ridge. As Im holding onto my hat against the wicked gusting winds, I see more longboard tracks that head down the ridge and disappear. Sheesh. Those kids were gutsy! It doesnt take long for us to get sick of the wind and we hike into the forest for cover. We round the next ridge and theres the Columbia River! All of the sudden I get just a tiny bit choked up realizing that Im almost finished. We are moving at a great pace, or so we think. The GPS unit says we are approx 1.5 miles further down the trail than we really are - thats a massive bummer. I start to feel a hot spot on my left big toe but I dont want to have to stop. Ryans shins are bothering him, too, but we dont stop. The trail has just enough apple-sized rocks on it that we cannot really barrel downhill nor make good time. We come to a sign that says 2.1 miles to Cascade Locks - ugh that is so rough! It is exactly 12pm and Im ready to be finished. We dub this last portion the 2.1 miles of endurance and tolerance. At this rate, it will be after 1pm when we cross the bridge. We both throw down some energy gels and dig deep to do this last stretch. I have two hot spots now and the bottoms of my feet are aching and feeling every rock on the trail. We do it! We get to the bridge crossing at 12:50...I erroneously get in line behind a group of motorcycles to pay the toll and as we approach the booth, the attendant tells us We dont charge hikers, just stay to the left. Okey doke. OMG we had no idea the wind gusts were so strong! Had to hold onto our hats so they wouldnt blow off and wicked fearful we would drop our phones/cameras through the metal grating that is the floor of the bridge - we just tucked our heads down and moved as fast as we could. As we neared the WA side of the bridge, I started to get choked up - I saw Michael and a group of people cheering us on! Kip and Stacy made a sign, Dean and Mary brought flowers, Kathy and Ted were ready with hugs...and Michael was coordinating the whole effort! We zoomed over to Skamania Lodge but it was a long wait - we then caravanned a few miles further to Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson. They had room and the name was more fitting, also. After an icy cold one, a basket of fries and 3 fish tacos, I was well fed and ready for a shower and a nap, in that order. After a very long hot shower (with a cold beer) - all the trail dirt and grit was gone. Ryan and Michael were updating their phones and watching TV so I snuck off for a quick nap. And just like that, I was back in civilized society. Thank you everyone for your support, cheers and just liking these posts during my journey. I finished 300 miles of the 456 (due to fire closures and injury) and I am SOOOO looking forward to finishing those miles next summer, then tackling the WA PCT! To be continued...
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 04:12:02 +0000
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