Stevens Pass and a bit beyond, The end of the trail for me

I am off the trail now. The big giant storm was predicted so I traveled to the trail angeles "The Dinsmores" to wait out the bad weather. It rained like crazy but the storm was not as bad as had been predicted so after the worst of it I headed back into the woods and headed toward Canada. It was cold, wet and snowy. The streams were swollen and I was getting wet feet at every crossing. It was a doable trip but was not really any fun. As we were hiking in a group of my friends were hiking out. They had headed up the trail before the storm hit with the intention of waiting it out. One of them in particular was having some trouble staying warm, even with all his clothes on, and they decided to end their hike and avoid any hypothermia dramas.

My first night of camping was really rough. I injured my back during my rest days at the Dinsmores. I mean really, I injured myself while resting....sheesh! I guess the bunk bed did not agree with me. I felt really good while hiking and had minimal back pain but when I slept I could not turn over without experiencing a sharp pain that woke me up. I also struggled with lifting my backpack and any sudden twists of my back. I got very little sleep that first night. By this time I was traveling with Painter and female hiker named Smooth. We had a pow-wow in the morning and decided to turn around for safety sake. With my limited mobility and sleep deprivation it was unwise to travel over the snowy/icy conditions or to risk the stream crossings. I spent several days at the Dinsmores just resting and yes, you guessed it, eating. It rained hard every day and night. Eventually I had enough energy to get a ride to Everett where my friend Dan from Bellingham picked me up. I spent a couple of days in Bellingham...eating and sleeping and visiting with some other through hikers...then returned to Port Townsend.

I arrived in Port Townsend on the Grand Opening day of the new building at the hospital so I went to it with my friend Gina only 2 hours after arriving in town. I saw so many of my dear friends and was welcomed back warmly. It was both wonderful and overwhelming. I feel a bit de-socialized and it will take me some time to reintegrate to regular life. I am still shockingly fatigued but my back is feeling better.

So this is it. My trip is over. I did not make it to Canada. I stopped 170 miles shy of the boarder. I am pleased as punch about my trip and all that I experienced. It was just what I needed and I got what I was hoping for. I loved the trail and I do not want to leave the simplicity of trail life. If any of you would like to sponsor me, I will happily continue with hiking. I am thinking about the Continental Divide trail (3,000ish miles) and the Appalachian Trail (2,000ish miles). I also hear there is a great trail in New Zealand. Imagine that...summer in January. Just let me know if you want to sponsor me. :D

Love Pogo

I have just a few pictures below. Mostly it was too wet to pull my phone out to take pictures.

Andrea and Jerry Dinsmore and one of their boarders, Bree. Andrea is a natural mom to everyone. She helped us get the information we needed to make wise decisions.

Smooth, me and Painter after deciding to hike out. We decided to be happy with what we experienced. My cup is half full.

This was taken during the hike out, right before it began to snow on us...again.

While in Bellingham, my friends and I carved a pumpkin at the local brew pub. I really like to promote high art!

Only kidding, this is not the end for me. I feel like the world is wide open.