Blame Canada

Staheken, the final frontier. Where I will boldly hike where many hikers have gone before...

My very last town stop. How cool is that? Staheken is a town in the same sense that Beldon was...so a resort. However it is much prettier here and not nearly as hot. Today I am taking my very last zero before I make the final push to Canada. It feels strange to know that this next leg of my journey will actually end in Canada. Technically speaking I am no longer on a through hike for I no longer need to resupply to keep hiking. Once I get to Manning park I am simply done.

Talking with my fellow hikers (Macho Taco, Fairway and Malarkey) I have done quite a bit of reflection this last week. Realizations of things like, yes I will miss hiking after two weeks when my body actually has time to recover. Maybe it would better the section hike trails in the future. For when through hiking all to often you have to push to make miles. Sitting here I realize that I am going to have a hard time adjusting back to "domesticated" life and I thank my lucky stars that I'll have Outdoor School to ease me back into the "real world."

Washington has done an awesome job reminding me that I am a tiny human being in a big ass world during the last 100 miles. As charged and ready to hike as I was in Skykomish, I was beaten down to a pulp out here. The sad part is I was taking it "easy" compared to other parts of my journey. I honestly feel that certain parts of my body have been worn down so much that I am physically weaker now than I was at mile 1,000. The good news is that my hardest days are behind me and I am still being spoiled rotten with amazing weather and breath taking views...and pikas, so many pikas (the things I do for science).