Day 116 - Rugged Northern Cascades - Uphillhike
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Day 116 – Rugged Northern Cascades

At mile 2646.2. Hiked 26.4 miles today.

Excitement is building because today we will end only 6 miles short of Canada.

A new kind of tree

After passing Hart’s Pass I began to see Larches.  Larches are only found in the far north, commonly in Canada and Siberia. These trees are deciduous. Their needles change color and drop off in the autumn.

For hikers without a Canadian Entry Permit, they can only hike to the border, then turn around and hike 30 miles back to Hart’s Pass. In other words, they hike that same 30-mile stretch twice. I know a number of hikers that had to do this.

Here is a photo of some Larches. 

 

The Canadian Entry Permit

For hikers without a Canadian Entry Permit, they can only hike to the border, then turn around and hike 30 miles back to Hart’s Pass. In other words, they hike that same 30-mile stretch twice. I know a number of hikers that had to do this.

It is still hazy.

Another trail photo.

A mile away by trail, I can already see Lake Hopkins, our destination for the night.

Now a little closer to Lake Hopkins.

By the time I arrived at Lake Hopkins, I was spent from the heat and hard climbs over the day’s marathon distance. Several Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) thru-hikers passed by the lake. These hikers were following the PNT from Glacier National Park to the Pacific Ocean at Olympic National Park. Without much in the way of support on this less blazed and less-traveled trail, these hikers looked a couple of degrees more rugged than us PCT thru-hikers. Selfie was already in camp with his tent set up. He invited everyone to share a taste of his celebratory wine on the eve of reaching the Canadian border. Later on, Extra Mile showed up. She had put in a long day so that the next morning she could celebrate at the border with other hikers.

Camping at Lake Hopkins.