Final Thoughts and Thanks

Now that I've completed the trail I'm regularly asked how it feels to be done. It's harder than I thought it would be to adequately answer that question. I don't know how long it will take to fully distill this experience. I'm sure it will be a gradual process. It's hard to come up with a concise response when asked to sum it all up, but I can say with confidence that hiking the PCT was worth it.

Part of the reason I decided to hike the PCT is that I wasn't sure if I could do it. When I hiked the 75mi section in 2009, I was firmly convinced I would never do the whole thing. I didn't think I had it in me. I didn't know if I could handle the mental element, let alone the physical challenge. This initial doubt, that I kept to myself until now, makes finishing even sweeter.

Thanks

I walked most of the PCT alone, but there are many people that backed me every step of the way. My dad shipped all of my prepacked food boxes to nearly two dozen locations along the way. My mom and girlfriend Kate supplemented the boring food that I packed with care packages full of delicious snacks. I was a kid on Christmas morning at the Post Office every time. Thanks to the many other friends and family members that sent supportive letters and care packages. Thanks to the trail angels along the way who open their doors to hundreds of smelly hikers every year, I don't know how you do it. Thanks to everyone who set up on a road in the middle of nowhere and handed out snacks and cold beverages. Thanks to all the folks who haul hundreds of gallons of water into the desert every year. Thanks to everyone who reached out and took me in, those random acts of kindness will never be forgotten.