Afterword

Whenever things got really hard on the PCT, I would use this trick where I would imagine that I was already done. When I imagined the end, I expected it to be at the Canadian border. I saw myself surrounded by friends, with having completed every single step of the PCT.

When I actually got to the end, none of that was true. I showed up to the Timberline Lodge parking lot. It was filled with tourists and of the 2,650 miles of the PCT, I had to miss about 63 miles due to fire closures.

And yet, that single trick carried me so much farther than I ever thought I could make it.

Even better than imagining the end, the PCT has given me a new trick - remembering what I’ve gone through. I’m writing this more than a year since I finished my hike of the PCT and I’m surprised by how well I can remember each and every moment.

A lot of it sucked. I’ve included some of the worst days, but I’ve also cut out the banal, monotonous suckage. My friends can attest to how often I complained about the same stupid things again and again and again.

I also didn’t include every meaningful person I met, rather focusing on my main companions, as well as a few special guests who intertwined themselves into my story in interesting ways. And despite many rounds of editing, focusing on removing the unnecessary, this still ended up longer than I expected.

With all of that said, if I have conveyed anything to you, it’s that the PCT has meant everything to me. If I can convince a single person to go out for a really long hike, I will have succeeded here.

If you do, I hope that your long hike means everything to you too.

— Ask Jeeves