September 16 (~08:10 – ~19:50)
After Gomez Meadow – Kennedy Meadows (25.7 mi / Total: 702.2 mi)
Total PCT miles: 2653.1
Weather: Mostly overcast and chilly.
It’s day 165. It’s a little less cold this morning but the wind is crazy, and I start the day wearing most of my layers. I move into the low light and towards the spacious valley. The views are widespread, empty, the views simple, serene, perhaps even boring. But I don’t feel bored. I walk and I feel sad. It’s my last day on trail. Now and again tears well up, despite everything that’s happened these last months – the cold, the snow, the tiredness, I don’t want this life to end.
I move through the sparse landscape, and try to take in everything around me. The meadows, the romantic hills flowing into the distance, the effortlessness of today’s walk. The overcast sky, the chill in the air. It’s all about to be behind me. I know I will miss the crickets jump away as I move along the path, that sudden bustle, the noise, the fluttering to safety. I will miss the wind in my face, the smell of the heat. I will miss not knowing where I’ll end up at the end of the day, I will miss the constant movement – the one thing that remains the same.
I have a languid lunch at South Fork Kern River. I sit in between all the ants and watch them gather around me. I continue without taking any extra water, and run low before I get close to Crag Creek. I’m in a old burn area now. All the trees blackened, heaving in the wind. Suddenly a tree crashes in the distance and I think of when this happened before, and how just weeks ago a hiker was killed by a falling tree. It happens so fast, I know there’s nowhere to run. So I keep an eye out, move quickly, and pass by the water I’ve been craving, not wanting to dwindle for too long, not realising this stream will run dry further on and I have to wait for water even longer.
The heat comes back. I take off my layers too late and run around a corner and then I’m in the desert again. All those early PCT memories rush back. That pink flower, the yellow ones, the cacti growing from the sand, the dry mountains in the distance. I’m back, and I’m getting close now. I continue my way towards the town I left months ago and pass a lonely car campsite, where I find a trail register and read it. I find Red Feather in it, all the way down on another page. She past through five days ago. I sign it, my last register, then follow the trail across the dry dirt patch and keep going, not sure how to feel about these last moments.
Then suddenly, that’s it. It’s pitch black dark, the moon hidden behind the silent whirlwind clouds. The trail ends temporarily and a narrow road meets me. This is where the desert officially starts, this is the road to Kennedy Meadows. I walked the Pacific Crest Trail.
It’s too dark to take a good picture to mark this moment, so I walk back into the field I came from and find a spot to camp in the faint light of my headlamp, not sure if it’s protected, from the elements, from the road. But I can’t see, there’s not enough light and it’s too cold. I squeeze into a spot too small. I saw so many good spots on the way out but for some reason this is all I can find. Setting up is messy. It takes too long. Nothing is in the right order, it’s not smooth as usual. Then at night I listen to the crickets sing their song, and this is it. It’s dark, the wind howls, the milky way shines bright. I finally manage to take the one perfect picture of the night sky. It’s my last night on trail.
The next day I pack up for the last time. I find my way back to the road into Kennedy Meadows, and I find the town’s sign where I take my final pictures. I’m not at the official northern or southern terminal, but this is my monument. My last walk into town feels bittersweet. I walk to the general store and buy a celebratory Snickers ice cream. My first Snickers on trail, if you can believe it. Melancholy has set in already. I meet a few people who congratulate me on finishing and I’m jubilant and I’m heartbroken and I’m everything in between. I get a ride to Grumpy Bear’s and go to Triple Crown Outfitters where I chat with the owners and another hiker and we’re the only people there and I buy all the bandanas that say ‘PCT Class of 2019’ because now I can. I did it.
And then it’s really over. The two car campers who drove me the few miles across town offer to take me to Ridgecrest, where I spend an anticlimactic afternoon in town. Out of all the trail towns, this is not a good one. The next day I take two local buses and a Greyhound and I’m back in LA. I’m back with my friend Dana where suddenly the whole trail seems so far removed from me, and then I’m on a plane and I’m out of the country. Pacific Crest Trail, you were quite something.
The final stats:
Start date + point: 25 March 2019, Mexican border
Finish date + point: 16 September 2019, Kennedy Meadows (flipflop via Canadian border)
Total distance walked: 2,653.1 mi / 4,269.8 km (+ 62.7+ bonus miles)
Total days: 165
Walking days: 147
Nero days (less than 11 miles): 27
Zero days: 18
(Of which, Travel/Flipflop days: 8; Mt Whitney: 1)
Average distance per day (excl zeros): 18.0 mi / 29.0 km
Average distance per day (excl zeros and neros): 20.6 mi / 33.2 km
Longest hiking day: 38.9 mi / 62.6 km
Nr of times flipped: 8 (4 northbound, 4 southbound)
Nr of days with snow: 36
Nr of trail breaks: 1, to wait for the snow to melt (11 days, May 28 – June 7, not part of final count)
Nr of bear sighting: 5 on trail, and 1 from the Stehekin shuttle bus
Nr of coyotes: 2, and lots of late night howling
Nr of rattlesnakes: ~6
Nr of times I was attacked on trail: 2, by a tick and a Joshua tree that speared me
Cutest animals on trail: Marmots and pikas
Nr of times I cowboy camped (camping without a tent): 16
Nr of hitches to get into towns/flip up or down the trail: 41 (Of which, 27 solo)
Nr of nights in a hotel/motel/hostel: 24
Nr of trail magic occasions (in the shape of food or a ride): 13
Nr of Star Trek episodes watched on trail: 422
What I will miss: The beauty in everything, the lifestyle
What I won’t miss: The snow
Things I lost on the trail: Countless Injinji socks due to holes, two thumb nails, one toe nail, the push-pull cap of my new Sawyer filter, my eye-sight for about a day, my trail family
22 Responses
Congratulations! Thank you so much for sharing your journey! So well written, and such an endeavor! Those final night photos… wow. Cheers for you!
Ah, thanks so much! Already looking forward to the next adventure 🙂
Lieve Rosanna, We hebben genoten van je reis!! Gefeliciteerd met het behalen van de PCT!! Dick wil wel graag iets van jou op Facebook zetten. Kun je hem of mij een paar foto’s toe sturen? Groetjes Emma
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Tante Emma!!!! Zo leuk dat jullie hebben meegelezen! Ik ben nu pas al ‘t commentaar goed aan het bekijken… Zal ik jullie nog een paar foto’s opsturen? Het is nu wel een beetje laat…. x
Congratulations and many thanks for sharing your amazing adventure with us.
Thanks Kevin, thanks so much for reading along!
Wow! Congratulations! I grew up backpacking in the Sierras and started following your blog in May, with all the snow! You have completed an impressive accomplishment and will have such amazing memories to look back on! Thank you so much for sharing your journey and for enjoying the beauty of the USA! Your blog inspired me to take my 12 yr old backpacking for his official first season this past summer… yes, he loves it! We went along the Colorado trail should you wish to take on that endeavor in the future! Thank you!
How amazing to grow up somewhere so beautiful! I can’t even imagine as I grew up in the flattest country on earth. You and your son have so many beautiful places to explore together!! And wow the Colorado Trail. Yes, it’s definitely on my to-do list!
Congratulations Rosie. I have been following you since you walked the Te Araroa and I have loved reading your blog posts. I am so happy for you that you achieved your goal, in the end it felt like the flip flop allowed you (and us followers) to see the Sierras at their finest and worked out for the best. Whilst happy for you I am sad for me, checking your blog for new posts and reading them has been such a treat for me and I will miss them. I look forward to your next adventure. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed reading about my hikes 🙂
I completely agree about the flipping – even though it screwed up the idea of a continuous thruhike, I really did get to experience the Sierras in their prime, without snow or mosquitoes, and it was a beautiful way to finish the trail. I’m still a little surprised I managed to finish at all considering all the drama at the start, but the whole 6 months have turned into such beautiful memories now.
Well done and congratulations!
Looking forward to your next adventures!
Thank you so much! I’m also looking forward to the next adventure… not sure what it’ll be yet though, too many ideas and options!
Congratulations! I’m going to miss your tales from the trail. Your commitment to almost daily updates was really impressive and your pictures just beautiful. I’m so happy you got that incredible night sky shot after trying for so long! I hope you’ll consider writing about the readjustment to regular life after getting off the trail – that would be really interesting.
Thanks so much for following all this time! I don’t think I have so much difficulty readjusting back to normal life as some others do, but it’s still an interesting idea for a blog. I’m going to think about whether I have anything interesting to say about this! Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi, thank you for your determination and true grit. I have followed you through the TA and now the PCT. Your photos are amazing, your commentary has been so interesting and descriptive that ones feels through the your words some of your excitment, frustrations but always acheivment. You have inspired me at times when things have not been quite right for me, I have looked forward to you updates everyday and will miss them. All the best in your future endeavours, take care .
Thanks so much Bruce, that’s the nicest thing to hear!
I’ve been hoarding this last post—saving it up because I know it’s the end of the trail and I’ll miss having your near daily updates in my life. I look forward to hearing about your next adventure. Please keep writing and making photos. You have a gift.
I’m so happy to have had you following along throughout this crazy ride! Thanks for the encouragements and comments. I’m not sure what I’ll do for the next hike yet, but I know there will be one to come. Would be great to have you follow along 🙂
Thank you so much for your stories and pictures. As I am treated for cancer you give me a window on the world which is unreachable for me. Keep strong and congrats for this stunning achievement.
Goodluck with finding a new job and the next expedition.
All the best.
Oh man, I hope you’re doing well! Glad to hear my blogs have provided some distraction, and hopefully doing a long hike will be within reach one day soon! Good luck to you!!
I’ve just read through your whole journey.. a tale of war and peace .. incredible resilience and determination and a deep bow from me that you saw it through to Kennedy meadows. Looking through the Sierra section I can imagine that would be difficult to navigate in snow covered conditions in poor weather never mind the effort and equipment needed so you made the right call there to flip methinks. You’ve got a good eye for a photo too .. I dropped onto your blog having begun to think that the pct might be an interesting thing to do , you haven’t put me off .. Incredible effort in face of adversity, well done
Thanks so much John! (and sorry for the late reply.) The PCT was a huge adventure (and it isn’t every year – most years are easier, so it can only get better 😉 ). I’d definitely recommend it. You’ll certainly never regret it!