[pct-l] Hiking SOBO to meet up with NOBO Finisher late Sept

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

I have to get my half of the story in. I was the thru hiker and  
Trailhacker was the one hiking SOBO to meet me.

The plan was to meet at Harts Pass on a certain date. The only  
problem was that I was just SOOOOO ready to go home I decided I would  
push our meeting spot way closer to Canada than that. So I pushed  
myself with 30 mile days. I was going home! I couldn't wait!

We had a deal that if either of us camped or stepped off the trail  
for any reason, we'd leave a note in the trail. I left my note even  
when I went to the bathroom. I left a note on the trail my final  
night on the trail even though I was camped within sight of the  
trail. In the morning I set off for the last day of hiking. My  
assumption based on all my calculations was that I would meet  
Trailhacker somewhere that day, probably before Woody Pass.

All morning as I hiked I kept hoping to run into him. But I never  
did. Three thru-hikers came down the trail SOBO, having to return  
rather than go through Canada. They hadn't seen Trailhacker. Now I  
was worried. Did he get in a car accident? Did he blow me off? What  
happened to him?

I walked to Canada alone. I got there at the end of the day so I  
camped at the campground on the border. I put my sign in the trail  
and kept looking out my tent hoping to see him. In the morning he  
still hadn't come, so I walked to the lodge by myself. All of this,  
the moment at the border and the arriving at the very end of the  
trail by the lodge, was incredibly sad.

My plan now was to camp in the forest each night and go wait on the  
lawn in front of the lodge each day for him and keep trying to reach  
him on the phone. I bought a phone card (my phone didn't work in  
Canada) and left him a message telling him my plan. Then I met  
someone who said they had seen Trailhacker on the trail. Now I was  
very confused. I walked a mile to the most likely parking lot and  
found his car. He was here somewhere! I left a note, then got a room  
at the hostel. In a few hours he knocked on my door. I was so happy!

It turned out we had camped only about a half a mile apart on my last  
night on the trail. I had walked by his tent, which had been hidden  
off the trail in the forest. He hadn't left his note! He would have  
hiked all the way to Hart's Pass if he hadn't run into a man who knew  
who and where I was and made him turn back.

Long story, sorry. tldr; Have an iron-clad plan with plenty of what- 
ifs thought out.

In Cananda in Manning Park, you can park in a lot called Beaver Dam  
or something like that. It is the old place where the trail used to  
come out. It's not guaranteed that your hiker will come out there, so  
plan to meet at the lodge or the restaurant. Hikers can always find a  
restaurant. I don't think you need a permit if you don't cross the  
border into the US. You are not allowed to cross the border into the  
US at all from the trail and there is no permit that will allow it.  
So if you want a real hike, you will have to start in the US and hike  
with your hike NOBO, then turn back. I think Ross Lake is the closest  
side trail to the border. Hart's Pass would be next closest.

On Sep 2, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> From: Patricia Rice <pjriceatl at gmail.com>
> Subject: [pct-l] Hiking SOBO to meet up with NOBO Finisher late Sept
>
> I plan to drive from Seattle, leave a car at the terminus in Canada
> and hike SOBO for about ten miles to meet up with a NOBO thru-hiker
> so we can "finish the PCT" together since I hiked the first five
> miles with him out of Campo last April.  Will have passport, maps,
> equipment and provisions for camping on own should we not connect for
> some reason as planned on first day.  This will be first time for me
> to the area; what I'm looking for is some general advice from anyone
> who's done this before that might help assure the experience goes
> smoothly (best place to leave rental car, permits to get, etc).
> Thanks.  No Trail Name....Yet