Day 140: mile 2616.8 – mile 2642.1

Elevation gain: 5,015 ft

Elevation loss: 5,161 ft

We are literally RIGHT THERE, folks! The Canadian Terminus is only 11 miles from our campsite tonight! it’s unbelievable to me, and honestly doesn’t seem real. Today we knew we had a big day, over 25 miles, so we set the alarm for 5:45. Unfortunately, none of the smoke had dissipated overnight so it appeared we would have another day without any views. The sun looked really red again today as it rose through the smoky haze.

A few times, I would look up and swear the blue sky was RIGHT THERE. It seemed brighter and the smoke didn’t look as thick.

But then, that was short lived and the hazy sky was back. Thank goodness for all the fall colors in the trees and shrubs…now, THAT was stunning!

We were at Hart’s Pass after just 5 miles into the day. This is the spot where Link’s dad will pick us up in just two days from now. There was a trail register there, which we haven’t seen for quite some time. Plus a pit toilet, trash, hiker box, and picnic table. The 5 of us all ended up there within 15 mins of each other, along with Couscous, another thru hiker. After Hart’s Pass, it was so strange knowing we would see all 30 miles of that trail all over again. I sure wish we could’ve explored Canada, but at least we have an alternate plan in place. The beauty of a thru hike is to only see each inch of trail just one time. Believe me, when there are parts of the trail that are not my favorite, I just tell myself, “you never have to walk that step again” 😂

We all started hiking again at various times, knowing we’d leapfrog with each other all day. The beautiful colors continued, and actually never stopped.

We started seeing hikers walking toward us who had reached the terminus yesterday and were making their way back, the 30 miles, to Harts Pass. One couple we saw was Shortcut & Finesse! Shortcut had to get off the trail at Crater Lake because of an injury and was just joining Finesse for a short while. Finesse skipped about 130 miles in WA because of the smoke and will go back to do those miles later. It was great to see them again and briefly catch up! The biggest bummer about our campsite tonight was the fact we had to dry camp. We had to carry 13 lbs of water, between the 2 of us, for 5 miles which included multiple climbs as well.

We finally made it to camp at about 6:15 with Zach G. We aren’t sure where Sparkles & Wooter are camped. They had planned to join us, but must’ve stopped a little short for some reason…we will see them in Canada tomorrow! The fact that this day has finally come is truly mind blowing to me. I know that when we get home, all of our friends and family will ask, “how was the trip?”, and I honestly don’t know how to answer that. I’m thinking that those of you reading this blog have a pretty good idea, but how can I possibly sum up the last 6 months in a few sentences? There were amazing sights, but some boring trail as well; it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically and mentally, but also the greatest challenge; I’ve met phenomenal people, and have been amazed at the kindness of humanity during this most uncertain time; we’ve had a lot of laughs, but definitely a few low times as well. It will be virtually impossible, but I’ll have to come up with something pretty quickly.

Maddie would call this “the golden hour” 😁
The amount of Whip being used is alarming 😳

I can’t thank you all enough for your never ending support through all of your most amazing comments. They truly helped lift us when we needed it most. This has definitely been the adventure of a lifetime for us…thanks for joining us! DoubleDown

Zach G made a time lapse of our time setting up camp 😁