2023 PCT - Day 3 - On to Manning Park, BC

We both move into Canada. The end of a Five Year Journey. A Woman Walking Home.

US - Canada border, Northern Terminus, Pacific Crest Trail.

I still remember Runningbird's words from that morning on June 1, 2019 at the Mexico-US border. Arriving at the Southern Terminus of the trail at Campo, California after 3 days of driving, Runningbird said, "I can't handle all of this driving, I'm going to walk home".

In Wauconda, Washington I woke to a lovely morning, had some cereal, took Beau for a walk in the woods and went over to the cabin to have coffee with JD before heading north to BC. He had made bacon and eggs for the boys, which I skipped as I was anxious to move on. Beau and I made our good-byes to Jim and Lizzy and moved on up highway WA-97 to the border crossing. In the downtown area of Osoyoos I asked Google to find me a bank. I wanted to get some cash from an ATM in case I had to pay the campground host in Manning Park with cash as it was a Sunday. Things were busy in Osoyoos with visitors and locals walking the streets, finding breakfast and coffee spots, and enjoying the last days of summer and the good weather.

Moving on out of town I followed highway 3, the Crowsnest Highway, as it paralleled the Similkameen River west. There were still "hot spots" smoldering on the hills to the south of me and the significant damage from the forest fires was clearly visible. I drove by Spotted Lake, which to this day I still regret not taking the few minutes of time to pull over and take photos of. It was the most unique lake I had ever seen. It was a whitish color and more like a salt pond with spots of various sizes and shades of green, brown, yellow, gold, red, like the spots on the back of a gecko. It was so curious. Continuing on there were still more areas of the forest where small plumes of smoke continued to rise from the hills for miles. While I'm pretty sure highway 3 is an east-west highway, it does an awful lot of up-and-down-north-south transit as well. The Similkameen River valley along the towns of Keremeow and Cawston are ripe with vineyards, fruit orchards, and various produce. The highway was lined for miles with wineries and produce stands nestled side by side. Cars were entering and exiting the highway constantly to checkout all the edible treasures.

Continuing on past the town of Princeton and into the hills again I passed huge boulders and rock quarries, the Smelter Lake Tailings Storage Facility, Copper Mountain and the Copper Mountain Mine, and the Similkameen Ore Conveyor Bridge area. While it was a huge scar on the mountains, it was interesting and an amazing area to drive through. Eventually the road moved back into a more forested area and entered Manning Park and the EC Manning Provincial Park lakes and campgrounds area.

The Pacific Crest Trail terminates at the US-Canada border about seven miles south of the Manning Park Resort. The Windy Joe Trail brings hikers up from the PCT Terminus up into the Lightening Lakes Campgrounds area and then to the resort. This is the busy season and the campgrounds are quite full but several have some "first-come-first serve" sites and I was being hopeful. I had a campground at Lightening Lake in mind and as I drove up the road to the lake the place was more like a zoo with day users to the lake enjoying the cooldown in the hot weather. Coming back down from the lake I noticed a "brand-new" campground that was now opened and I pulled in to check it out. The Skyview RV Campground was perfect. It had full hook-ups, nice new showers, and a small store. After getting the T@B all settled, hooked up, and taking Beau for a short walk I returned to the campground office. I inquired about where the trail coming up from the PCT would have the best access for me. Runningbird and I had planned to meet at the Resort but I was hoping to save her the extra steps and the crowd at the resort and thus try to meet her earlier. I remember trying to do this meeting earlier thing in SoCal back in 2019, meeting earlier that is, and it didn't go well. Anyway, the young lady at the office gave me a detailed map and showed me where the Windy Joe Trail came up, then crossed a bridge at the road, before going up to the Resort.

Returning to the campsite I hooked up to the WiFi (it cost $5 extra for access) and checked on Runningbird's Spot. When we had started at Rainy Pass, WA the day before yesterday, she mentioned a possible campsite at the border area where she might stop and camp that night before coming in to finish at Manning Park the next morning. I watched her Spot and saw her meandering about just on this side of the border. Since it was now early afternoon I assumed she was checking out her campsite for the evening. I decided to drive up to the resort area and check out the lay of the land there and then went to see where the bridge crossed to the highway. This would really be the best spot to try to meet her as I wouldn't miss her, and she would literally walk into the truck as she came up at the bridge. Additionally, I had a cellular signal there. Emphasis on "I" had a signal.

So I went about my day. I examined the map of the maze of trails and their detail that the park ranger had provided me. I had an Ice cream from the little store. Drove back down the highway several miles to the gas station I had passed to top off with fuel. I wanted to be ready for the drive home when Runningbird was ready. Driving back into the resort area again I was passing the bridge when my phone rang. I pulled over and it was Runningbird. Although she had spent some time near the border, taking photos and celebrating the completion with some other hikers, she had continued hiking and was now at a crossroads (trails). Her APP to navigate had ended with the end of the official PCT at the border, not at Manning Park! I did my best to tell her to continue on the Windy Joe trail to the bridge but the reception was not good and then I lost her, not knowing if she copied me or not. I situated myself at the bridge and tried to track her SPOT movements on the trail. No good. While I still had service, she was evidently in dense trees or her SPOT got turned off.

After some time fretting, I put Beau on his leashed and headed up the connector trail to the Windy Jim trail. At one point I pulled Beau off to the side to let an apparent mother and daughter hiker team to pass. In hindsight I should have asked them if they saw Runningbird. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. After a few more minutes Beau started whining and there was my PCT hiker/finisher. I gave her a celebratory hug, let Beau say his congratulations, and then led her on down the trail towards the truck. As we walked she told me she had offered a couple of hikers, a mother-daughter team, a ride to the Vancouver, BC airport tomorrow morning. Um, okay? I told her I had passed them and then tried to walk faster to catch up with them. Ya. Well. She had their contact info so there was no need for us to rush. Hindsight! I should have listened, slowed down, and spent more time hand-in-hand celebrating her accomplishment. Hindsight! Really, sometimes I can be so insensitive. Well.

Hooray!!! The Woman Walking Home, on the PCT anyway, is done!! Well done! Setbacks, injuries, COVID, heatwaves, fires. DONE. She may be small but she is fierce!

Now back at the campground, unlimited hot water in the shower. A good meal and a good night's sleep on a warm, soft bed. PCT - DONE!