I have just returned from yet another work party on the PCT, this one up at Hart’s Pass in the North Cascades. This is really beginning to be a thing!
It is no exaggeration when I say this area is my favorite place on the whole PCT. I have now been up here 4 times now; my very first backpacking trip was here.
The views aside, it is the last road junction before you make it your final 30 miles to Canada and for thru hikers it is met with both excitement and loss as their journeys come to an end.
We had a great time not only doing trail work but feeding and warming hikers as they either contemplated their closing miles or saw them come to an end on their return trip down from our neighboring country.
It feels good to be a part of their story, their history of the PCT, even if it is just by offering a hotdog or having a campfire blazing to warm them.
So far, I have now completed Washington and Oregon on the trail and although not a thru hike, it has been no little feat for me. I wrote in my post Definition of Courage about how hiking the PCT has been a huge part of my life.
I stood this weekend and watched a few hikers moved to tears as they thought about those last few steps on the trail and I remember that same emotion I had when I walked up to Monument 78 and touched Canada after walking there from the Oregon border 520 miles before.
I have also had two work parties now in the section of the PCT between Stehekin and Rainy Pass to replace signage in the National Park. You can find more information my page Washington PCT.
These trips have not only solidified my desire to be a part of the PCTA North 350 Blades and their work on the PCT here in the last 350 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, but helped me to reflect even more on my own trail journey
I could remember my first time on that section below Rainy Pass about 5 years ago with my backpacking group from church as we hiked and camped our way towards Stehekin and I find myself looking back to who I was and my emerging backpacking skills.
I smiled fondly at memories of the impression that hike had left on me and how I couldn’t get enough of the PCT after that, despite the love/hate relationship.
I was still using my brother’s pack (he’s 6’3″) and carrying as much as I could possibly fit in it. Just going the 5-6 miles in between camps was a BIG deal, even though this was not my first trip. That combination of accomplishment and the nagging feeling that I’m going to die out here.
And yet with time, I have become the hiker I never imagined I could be. Who, me? A solo hiker? Never crossed my mind.
I have to admit it has been bittersweet to replace signs that hold a place in my memory as marking a long awaited camp site or a stopping point for a hearty snack and laughter with friends. But the trail is an ever evolving, living thing and just as we must repair worn tread and cut back creeping brush, we must change to signs that better direct us.
I couldn’t help but take a picture of myself with the new 6 Mile camp sign to go with a picture of myself 5 years ago next to the old one, documenting not only the change in the sign but in myself since that day.
So many more miles under my belt, carrying a much lighter and efficient pack and having created a two way relationship with the trail I love by participating in trail maintenance and advocacy.
How far I have come!
Even more than being a part of the story of thru hikers we helped with a little trail magic, I am becoming more than someone with a PCT story. I am now a part of the history of the PCT with every sign I help install and every tread I help reconstruct. I will never set a FKT but I can make a mark in my own way.
And now that I have even adopted a section of the PCT for my very own to scout and make sure it receives the TLC it needs to remain safe, I am looking forward to not only the stewardship but my continued connection to the trail that has helped me become who I am today.
Want to find out more yourself about how to give back to the trail you love? Check out the North 350 Blades on Facebook or the PCTA website. Just love trails in general? There are plenty of ways to give back in Washington State as well as in your own area.
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