In my second week off trail, I finally made it into Canada. I woke up early in the morning on 15 October, and made my way to the King Street Station in Seattle. I had a train booked to take me across the border, and when I boarded I could tell that this was going to be the most comfortable and scenic international border crossing I’d experienced.

I rode the train next to the window on the seaward side of the carriage, which gave me great views of Puget Sound as we cruised north. I watched the sun climb as we made our way up through northern Washington, but it never made it very high in the sky. By the time we arrived in Vancouver, it was midday, and the sun was still oddly low in the sky. These are the highest latitudes I’ve ever visited, and as the season draws close, I really can see the change in light.

I checked in to my hostel in Vancouver, and spent the afternoon exploring the city. I walked around for a few hours and found a place called Duffin’s Donuts which, unexpectedly, serves incredible fried chicken. They’re cash or debit only, so getting my hands on Canadian Loonies was a fun side-quest in itself. After chicken, I found a bar with cheap beer and poutine, exactly what a broke hiker needs in a new city.

The next day, I caught a bus up to Squamish; about halfway to Whistler. Squamish is a cool spot, more low-key than Whistler, set in beautiful surrounds with mountains right outside of town. I checked in to a hostel right alongside the river for 4 nights, and then set about exploring this new town.

While I was in town, I saw another bear. This one was so much closer than the last one, and being a town bear, it really wasn’t bothered by my presence. Still, I didn’t feel threatened by it at all, and I just appreciated the opportunity to see one up close.

I spent a few days wandering around Squamish, and appreciating the small trails they have through the trees away from the roads. I was able to briefly pretend that I was still on trail, while readjusting to the conveniences of being in town.

After a few days in Squamish, I returned to Vancouver for one more night before catching the train back to the US. I caught an early morning train from Vancouver to Portland and once again enjoyed a comfortable ride over the border, with beautiful scenery down the coast.

When I got to Portland, I met up with Trail Spice, who I last saw at Trail Days. I’d spent the last 2 months with the optimistic hopes of catching up with him and the other Vortexperts as they’d headed out from Washington while I was back in NorCal. It was great to see him again, and we went for beers and chicken at BAES Fried Chicken, we caught up about both of our experiences on trail since we’d last met.

Once again, I stayed at Eli’s Place in Portland, and had a great time there too. I hung out late into the evening with his mates and talked about everything north of Washington since I’d seen them last

On my second day in Portland, I went into the city again and met with Frizz. We spent the day checking out the city and catching up. In the evening we went up towards Boise, a suburb north of the city which I knew had some good bars. We had a couple of beers at Moloko, pizza at Atlas, and met up with Kewpie for a few more drinks and more catching up. As much as it was a fun time to hang out, it was equally a time for goodbyes. We made the most of the evening and then went separate ways.

Something I definitely look forward to is making the trip back down the coast, and hopefully meeting people I’ve hiked with along the way. Once I’d been readmitted to the US, I could plan my trip. I was hoping to make it to Tahoe, then Bishop, then down the Eastern Sierra through Lancaster and LA to San Diego where all of this began. All going to plan, it should be a really amazing trip, full of familiar faces, memories, and reflection on this incredible experience.