We woke up antsy, excited and very, very cold just before the sun peaked over the distant ridges to the east. It was September 22nd, 2010 and it was our last day on the Pacific Crest Trail. From our camp that morning M, Rising Sun, Charmin and I walked out on painfully cold feet, 7 miles to the Canadian border and the northern terminus of the PCT. As the border monument came into view we erupted in cheers of victory and savored this moment which we had all so vividly dreamt of for over 2600 miles and 5 months. There were congratulations all around.
The end of such a journey leaves each person with a unique experience of thoughts, feelings and emotions because even our reasons for starting such a journey are different as well. For me, the end is bittersweet but mostly sweet. The beginning of this journey forced me to step outside of my comfort zone when I left Virginia on a bicycle in the middle of winter 8 months ago. There were certainly times when I felt like I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I never lost the drive to keep trying. The feeling of accomplishment is great, but above all else, I am glad that I got to share so many different parts of this trip with so many people, even through this blog.
Right now I'm in Bellingham, Wa with Anna (Charmin) who has decided to join me for the Bellingham Bay Marathon before she returns home to Switzerland. Sunday we run. Why? Why not?
The forecast for race day: Pouring rain. All day. Bring it on.
Thanks for following along, and thanks for all the support from my family, friends and random kind strangers.
"The tallest tree begins as a sprout and a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
-Lao Tzu, Tao te Ching
Ryan Hasty
Bellingham, Wa
8 comments:
Congratulations Ryan! What a wonderful accomplishment along with your cross country bike trip. Good luck in the Marathon on Sunday
Your VA neighbors in Springwood
You are an amazing human being, Ryan. Congratulations on completing your epic journey. I will alway remember you fondly and will be forever greatful that I met you and had the pleasure of your company, if only for a few weeks. I wish you much success in whatever future endeavors to which you aspire. Please keep in touch. Sara.
Congratulations Ryan! It's no surprise to me that you have completed this truly amazing trek A feat I can't imagine doing. Your passion for this kind of thing may know no end. Such passion is good stuff. I'm glad that you can savour the moment before plunging back into the world. Best wishes.
Ryan , congrats on evolving from a wandering kid following the dog thru the woods to a long hikin man following your dreams. Glad you made it safely and in good shape . So like Forest Gump says "That's all I have to say about that."
Ryan , one more gump saying that seems to apply to your journey... modified a bit....
That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little bike ride. So I road to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd ride to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just ride across the Eastern US And I figured, since I road this far, maybe I'd just ride across the whole damn usa . And that's what I did. I road clear across the country. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I left the bike and hiked clear to Canada . And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. Then I realized that would take another 8 months and decided against it. So , I ran a marathon instead . Stupid is as stupid does.
Ah, the Tao te Ching. How fitting. Congrats on finishing the PCT brotha! Now on to the next big adventure, which is..? Haha. BTW, I hope when you read "the Tao te Ching" you pronounced it like it's spelled, cause that's how I'm writing it, and then corrected my mispronunciation. You know.
I appreciate your writing this blog. It has been great to follow your bike and hike across country. Virginia shared this with us. You have had an experience of a life time. So many do not take this opportunity to see the country as you have done. You have challenged yourself physically and mentally. When you have time to reflect on your trips across the country perhaps you can write a longer version of your adventures. Thank you for sharing this blog!
Virginia's mom
Thank you for your great
content.
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