[pct-l] Southbound from Canada into Washington

[Jim & Jane Moody]

Purely hypothetically, what would happen if a US citizen hiker entered Canada legally at a port of entry (say the Vancouver airport), was driven to Manning, BC, then walked to the border and continued onto the PCT southward?  Does the Canadian gov't monitor entries close enough to know if someone didn't leave (or at least, didn't leave a paper trail at a c ustoms station?  Would the US gov't know if that hiker had entered from Canada instead of hiking northward from Hart's Pass, then backtracking? 



I am thinking of writing a novel and using this scenario.  I would never participate in an illegal activity, nor would I encourage anyone else to do so. 
Mango 


----- Original Message -----


From: "Devon Taig" <devon.taig at gmail.com> 
To: "pct-l" <pct-l at backcountry.net> 
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 12:44:50 AM 
Subject: [pct-l] Southbound from Canada into Washington 

*Greetings PCT listers...I I thought you might enjoy reading my letter to 
Customs and Border Patrol (as well as their response) regarding their 
policy of not allowing hikers to trek south-bound from Manning Provincial 
Park in Canada into the United States. If after reading this letter you 
would like to complain as well, here's a link 
<https://help.cbp.gov/app/forms/complaint/session/L3NpZC96a1VaQzRXaw%3D%3D> 
to 
do just that. I'm more than just a little frustrated by 
the bureaucratic rules that get put in place by the non-critical thinkers 
at Customs / Border Security.  I dunno, maybe I'm just "pissin' in the 
wind" here (oooh...that's a good trail name, huh?!), but anyway it's 
something I wanted to at least be able to say that "I tried" to do 
something about. 

River 
* 
 ============  LETTER =============== 

Hello - I am writing to ask you to reconsider the policy of not allowing 
United States citizens to enter the country via the Pacific Crest National 
Scenic Trail (PCNST). As you may be aware, the PCNST is a 2,650 mile hiking 
trail stretching from the Mexican border to Manning Provincial Park in 
British Columbia approximately seven trail miles beyond the international 
border. If I understand the current policy correctly, hikers who wish to 
begin a south-bound hike trip on the PCT from Canada, must: 

(1) First hike the 7 miles to the border from Manning Provincial Park in 
Canada 
(2) Backtrack to their vehicle at Manning Provincial Park 
(3) Drive to a legal border crossing station and clear customs and border 
protection 
(4) Drive to Harts Pass in Washington 
(5) Hike some 30 miles to get back to the border! 

By the time the legal hiker is standing at the international border, they 
have hiked an additional 37 miles in order to comply with the border 
crossing regulations. Combined with the driving and the likely stranding of 
a vehicle at Hart's Pass, this is easily a three or four day ordeal. In 
effect, one of the most beautiful sections of one of the most fantastic 
trails in the United States has become a logistical nightmare - not just 
for long distance hikers, but also for backpackers looking for a one week 
adventure. 

I am all for border security, however, I find it very doubtful that having 
this regulation in place does anything other than to thwart peaceful, 
nature-seeking hikers. It is highly unlikely that someone wishing to 
smuggle something into the United States would choose the PCNST as their 
route. 
I am wondering, would it be possible for some sort of border inspection to 
take place for PCT hikers when they first enter into into Canada? Such 
hikers would declare their intention to hike into the United States on the 
Pacific Crest Trail. Perhaps such hikers could request a special PCT 
border-crossing permit beforehand (perhaps involving a nominal fee) that 
could then be presented to the border guard at the time of the inspection. 

Having to overcome this hurdle is a genuine problem faced by scores of 
hikers every year. We are law-abiding citizens and I believe I speak for 
the vast majority of hikers (and certainly myself) when I say that I will 
comply with the regulations (whatever they are), but I do humbly ask you to 
reconsider you position on this rule. 

My information related to the current regulations can be found here: 
http://www.pcta.org/planning/before_trip/notice-cbp-canada.asp 

Sincerly, 

Devon Taig ============  RESPONSE =============== 

Good morning, 

Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning the clearance of hikers 
entering the United States via the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reviewed this request and 
determined that CBP is unable to provide alternate processing procedures 
for hikers entering the United States southbound from British Columbia, 
Canada on the PCT. As established by law, hikers wishing to utilize the PCT 
to enter the United States are required to be inspected and admitted in 
person at a designated U.S. port of entry. Numerous factors, including 
insufficient infrastructure and staffing on the PCT, as well as its remote 
location, prohibit CBP from approving this request. 

Thank you for your interest in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

Andrea 
Complaints Officer 
_______________________________________________ 
Pct-L mailing list 
Pct-L at backcountry.net 
To unsubcribe, or change options visit: 
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l 

List Archives: 
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/ 
All content is copyrighted by the respective authors. 
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.