Ohhhh Canada!! Miles 2550 - 2660

Washington keeps getting better and better!

With a sunrise on Glacier Peak and the full Moon still in the sky we could not help but to stop and soak in it.

The North Cascades were AMAZING and rivaled the Sierras with their ruggedness and beauty. 

    We have one last town stop before Canada so Stehekin here we come!

This is our amigo, Handbrake, who is modeling his rain gear which typically means a hiker is doing their laundry.  We are 83% sure he is going to retire those rain pants after the hike. They only have to hold together a few more days!

This is the Stehekin  bakery and it is renowned in the region for being one of the best places to eat, which is pretty impressive for a place that can only be accessed by sea plane, boat or foot! It was almost too much for a deprived hiker to handle. Notice Almost Awesome is staring at the bakery case as if there was a movie playing in it. They make gourmet hot pockets that you could absolutely roll around in!

     Stehekin cannot be accessed by road so Lake Chilan is the only way to get to this beautiful location other than hiking. 

     This is our view of Lake Chelan which is so beautiful!  It averages 400' deep and has a max depth of 1480'!

Almost Awesome and Handbrake, at Stehekin Landing overlooking Lake Chelan, discussing important things ... like food.

Logs. Keeping feet dry for centuries!

Our last few days on the trail were glorious with temps in the 60's and blue skies! 

     This is our friend who has one of our favorite trail names.  Early in the trail he packed out some bacon and other meats and a few days later cooked them with some butter in his cookpot.  Shortly after he became REALLY sick and was subsequently named "Ralph Butters".  His name later morphed to "Rancid Ralph Butters" which he would sign "R.R. Butters" in the trail registers as if he were some 19th century writer.  

     He still submits that packing out bacon isn't a bad idea.

 We quickly found that eastern Washington is MUCH more arid than the west which we didn't mind after being cold and wet.

Possum's beard is almost as big as that mountain!  Almost.

Hiking in the North Cascades is like unwrapping a gift at every pass. The beauty just unfolds revealing view after view. It is more of a feeling than a view. Almost Awesome was giddy with every new panorama!

Can you smell the maple syrup and poutine yet, eh?!

Awesome sunrise on some grand mountains. Look at how vertical the face is on that mountain!

Almost Awesome was glad to get into the sun because it was a chilly morning!

Where's all the trees?

Rock Ocean and Possum.  He is the owner of the VW van that we posted previously.  This guy is terrific and we think that he and Possum would make a great superhero duo or at least roadies for the band Alabama.

A view like this gives a nice perspective on things.

The sun lighting the landscape on our last day of hiking in Washington.

How is this for a spot to have some tea?  L-R Worm, Squeaker (in the shade), Sock Holiday, and Tank.

Monument 78.  The northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. It sits on the border of the US and Canada!

We made it! Border to border! It was an amazing adventure! This trail captures so much beauty and wilderness in so many different environments. We are so  grateful to have had the opportunity to encounter such a treasure together! We are also thankful that we don't have to go straight home but get to return to Northern California to hike the 170 miles we missed because of fire closures earlier this summer. Not quite finished, and thankful for it!...............