PCT Days 157 and 158- The Canadian Scramble

Double zero at Stevens Pass (mile 2464) for a wedding, no hiking.

The border is open! I repeat, the border is open! There is a PCTA approved alternate to the Canadian border and it is again legal to walk into Canada. This is big news. Very big. For the previous two weeks we have been closing in on the final miles of this hike, down to under 200 left. Which at this point in the hike feels undeniably achievable. I have walked so many miles and days and through pairs of shoes and packets of oatmeal that I don’t even enjoy eating, past innumerable trees and lakes and some very nice mountains. At this point, I would crawl myself to Canada with my face. I would, no doubt.

But as we have talked to the many day hikers out enjoying the last throws of summer, there has been a tinge of frustration on our part. People are eager to congratulate us on being so close to completing our goal not knowing that the final miles were closed to due to fire. And that we were planning a massive logistical u-turn through Vancouver in order to be able to snap that finishers photo at the northern terminus. It always felt too cumbersome to explain the long-winded details of both the closure and our plans. So for the last weeks we have been simply accepting these strangers praise all the while knowing that the act of walking into Canada was to be denied to us. That of the three border crossing on this entire 2,650 mile trail, we would miss two due to forest fire closures.

That is until Friday.

But of course it’s not that simple.

As convoluted and absurd as our previous plan to touch the monument was. The changing of facts so close to the end is now another thing to contend with. On trail, Starman and I represent a continuously moving target of gear, food, and now paperwork needs. Needs that must be often be fulfilled in adherence to the hours of the United States Postal Service. Which is to say it can be a bit of a craps shoot.

When the border reopened on September 1, it put into motion a series of emails, phone calls, and text messages as we arrange for packages to be shipped to the tiny village of Stehekin which sits nestled along the shores of Lake Chalan, accessible by only foot, water plane, or boat. Thank goodness for understanding friends and family. This trail which can seem so solitary in nature would in fact be incomprehensibly more challenging without helpful people who are willing to make last minute trips to the post office on your behalf, and store your stuff, and kindly send or bring you gluten free snacks.

After having changed shipping addresses and food boxes, after rescheduling job start dates, comparing rental car prices, we’re all going back to plan A. Except now plan A is to be done on a tight timeline because you can’t have things be too easy. Where would be in the fun in that?