The Final Day. Every over-the-top word I've used in this Adventure Journal, was a perfect fit. Epic, Awesome, Spectacular, Amazing, Incredible, describes this Trail as a whole; let alone each individual moment. Even the tough times were all the above. To say anything less about an adventure like this, which is a long way from the ordinary world we live in, would feel like an injustice.
I stopped at the last lake of the trail, but it didn't feel like the last lake of the trail. It didn't actually feel like I was going to stop and not return to the trail after a "town day" or two. Leaving the lake I saw a hiker I hadn't seen since the first couple weeks of the trail; Trace, a dude who had some cool stickers I stuck on my water bottle in Warner Springs. The last few miles were filled with small streams and a gentle down hill sloping traverse toward the Canadian Boarder.
Turning the corner to see the Northern Terminus surrounded by 25-35 other thru-hikers held feelings of pure exuberance. Everyone took their turn taking picture and in general there was a sense of relief along side a feeling of loss. Relief for our bodies sake, but a loss of our everyday purpose. Where will we wonder now? What adventures are in store for us... because the adventure couldn't actually be ending here. No the adventure doesn't end, because the end is never really the end. Just a chance to experience new things.
The last picture I took before the Canadian Boarder
