Final Day, Forever Changed

Pacific Crest Trail, Sept 20th 2012

A long line of pack horses threads across the golden tundra, framed by the deep shadowed basin of the northern Cascades. This photograph was taken on September 20th, 2012 — my final day on the Pacific Crest Trail, after hiking 2,660 miles (4,281 km) from Mexico to Canada.

Shot near Woody Pass, roughly 11 miles (18 km) from the Canadian border, the moment captures that surreal edge of completion — where exhaustion, freedom, and gratitude blur into one long exhale. The climb is steep, the light is autumn-warm, and every step carries months of weather, friendship, hunger, wonder, and sheer stubborn forward motion.

This isn’t just a landscape. It’s the last stretch of a long dream — the moment where the trail gives you back to the world.

Minted for the Horsetraders. Much love from the green.