Day 122 The Finale 🇲🇽🇺🇸🇨🇦

21.3 miles

Overnight it was warm and windy. Sleep was difficult as my brain wouldn’t shut off, busy thinking through the final day ahead and transition back to ‘normal’ life. My alarm was set for 4:30am which didn’t help as I kept fretting about getting sufficient sleep. 

I needed to be up earlly to ensure I could get a full hiking day in and arrive at the border early afternoon with enough time to then cross into Canada and hitch to Waterton. I woke and fumbled around in the dark packing up camp for the final time on trail. I hit the trail, my path illuminated by head torch. 

Luckily for me the early start was perfectly timed as only 15 minutes in for the day it started to rain. I had packed up in the dry. Had it been raining on waking, hearing the pitter patter of rain droplets on my tent I would definitely have been reluctant to get up and start packing up. Rain always sounds harder inside a tent than it actually is outside. It was only light rain but sufficient to have to pull on rain gear. And I’m glad I did. 

The Ptarmigan Trail leads uphill to a tunnel through the mountains. The higher I climbed the heavier the rain fell and looking up on to the adjacent peaks a light covering of fresh snow had been dumped. The early morning warm air had been replaced by a deep chill and it was going to be cold up top for sure. 

Approaching the tunnel it started light snow started to fall. My hands became numb and I had to juggle holding an umbrella and a hiking pole in one hand while attempting to warm the other free hand in my jacket pocket. With my head down I charged up hill to the tunnel seeking refuge from the weather and a chance for a quick break to warm up. The tunnel was still cold inside with the wind blowing straight through but dry inside. I kept thinking I had timed my finish of the CDT just right. The season was changing and fall was on its way in.

With a snack down my gullet and hands warmed up a little I stepped out the other side to continue down hill and hopefully out of this atrocious weather. Stepping out the far entrance of the tunnel I was struck with a breath taking view out the other side. Sheer cliff lines descended straight down with a narrow trail cut into the walls following the contour down. Hand crafted rockwalks defined the trail leading the way. A few rockfalls had covered the trail and had to be negotiated, made more difficult in the wet conditions. Snow was blown down off the cliff tops with a ferocious wind, coming in sideways at times and buffeting me about but I could see blue skies further down the valley and practically ran downhill. 

The remainder of the day was a bit of a blur that I don’t recall much of. I remember just ploughing through the rain until into the cover of trees at which point some protection from both wind and rain was provided. I continued on at a fast clip eager to finish the CDT. 

Approaching to within about 5 miles of the border the rain dispersed and the sun finally made an appearance. This was great for drying my rain layers and I meant I wouldn’t have to try hitching from the border looking like a saturated homeless bum. 

The sun was lovely and I started to strip off both rain and insulating layers, finally getting down my standard hiking garb of shorts and sun hoodie. 

I kept checking my maps and counting down the miles as I got closer and closer. 4, 3, 2, 1….. 

With a half mile to go I sat down on the side of the trail for the final time, taking water from a stream for final time and munching on a museli bar for the final time. I sat quietly for a moment contemplating the last four months of travel, the incredible people I’ve met and spent time with, the amazing views encountered and reminiscing on some of the challenges overcome, be that the desert sun, long water carries, post holing through snow and the multiple times I thought about quitting. Proud of what I’d accomplished it was time to finish this trail out. Rising to my feet and throwing my pack on again I sauntered to the border. 

I passed the US border station, crossing into no-mans land, ‘the slash’, a 20 foot wide clearcut demarcating the border and stopped at the northern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail, between the two countries. I had finally made it and this journey was complete. I’m not sure how to describe the feeling. It was a mix of pure joy and relief. 

I took a few moments to shoot some video footage and took a couple of photos. I had lugged out a beer for this moment but thought twice about chugging half litre before crossing through Canadian border control and left it in my pack.

Finally walking over to the Canadian border I lined up behind a car and approached the counter when it was my turn. A few official questions and the border guard let me in. And with no one else in the line up behind me I was inundated with more questions about the trail, more out of personal curiosity from the guard than anything official. 

Stepping into Canada I stuck my thumb out and started the hitch towards Waterton for a well deserved rest and to start the journey home. About a mile down the road, the border guard pulled up and offered me a ride. She had just finished her shift and was keen to hear so much more about my journey. 

I set hard and ambitious goals for myself like the Continental Divide Trail to challenge myself, to push my physical and mental limits and work through them, in order to grown as a person and remind myself that I can do anything. Adversity is a part of this. I enjoy the sweetness of the struggle. The deepest satisfaction comes from the greatest challenges set. Struggle is not just necessary to achieve hard goals, it unlocks a profound happiness that those victories give within us. If long trails were really easy, everyone would hike them and it wouldn’t hold the same sense of satisfaction in completing them, provide that confidence it gives us to do hard things or strengthen the ability to not listen to doubt. Thru-hikers are an amazing bunch of people that share this drive and resilience; and I’m proud to be a student of CDT class of 2026. 

Until the next one, hike on and happy trails. 

-Hotshot-