November 15

Distance: 0.7 miles | Ascent: 213′ | Descent: 7′

Mile marker: 2655.8

Lunch: J&A – Campo café sandwich spread (A+), black forest cherry cake (A++), fresh fruit strudel (A++)

Dinner: J – linguine and clams (A+), A – yellowfin (A+)

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We dropped a big hint 1500 miles ago, on Day 60 (August 27). As though spending 139 days glued to each other’s side (except when we revolutionized team hiking on September 24) wasn’t enough, we decided to make this whole thing official. We stopped short of finishing the hike yesterday to ensure we’d finish today in front of parents and siblings – for our wedding! We were getting married at the very end of our PCT journey.

It was an idea that struck well before beginning the hike, but we didn’t have a plan. We weren’t sure if we’d like the hike enough to finish. We weren’t sure we’d be able to finish. We didn’t know if we’d be able to get a marriage license. We didn’t know if we’d be able to pull off a trail wedding. We walked over 80 million steps, and any misstep could’ve ended our hike. Who would want to be the one to announce a broken ankle, an early end to our hike, and a canceled wedding at the same time? Better to keep it discrete. But, as we grew more confident we’d make it to the southern terminus, we began to make plans for a most unconventional wedding.

The idea evolved from “what ifs” to phone calls two months ago. Maybe we became restless. We had finished planning the hike, and all was going too smoothly, so now it was time to plan a wedding. Doing it from trail was challenging, but not impossible. We had never imagined a traditional wedding for ourselves. And, we broke almost every tradition possible. Many of our chores and town tasks were related to the wedding prep: calling restaurants, ordering clothes, trying on clothes, mailing stuff to friends downtrail, figuring out the venue and schedule and a whole bunch of things. Sometimes we loaded and sent wedding-related emails holding our phones up high on top of a ridge to find the necessary bars. Once we realized this wedding idea was actually doable, we had to let our families know when and where. Although we were making plans, there was still lots of uncertainty about whether the wedding would even happen. Cancellation was always just one misstep away, so we only felt comfortable asking immediate family to make the trip. It would be a teeny tiny wedding.

Perhaps most unusually, we had to schedule our PCT finish date and time to the hour, several months in advance. We built a time buffer into our hiking schedule, but we still had to hike. We had to be consistent. We had to stay healthy and injury-free. We had miles to crush.

We pulled off trail yesterday to give ourselves a bit of time to prep. We ran into town to make some last-minute arrangements. A big rain system was approaching from the coast, so we worked out a weather-proof contingency plan. We stayed at the closest BnB to Campo, about 25 minutes away, to shower and get ready.  Fortunately, we had our personal trail angel, Jodi, to chauffeur us around again.

We had met a photojournalist while on trail who offered his professonal services to photograph our wedding. You’ve met him if you’ve read some our blog. It’s TimTam! He was so kind and gracious to be willing to hop on the clock the day after he finished his own PCT journey. The trail provided. He was especially familiar with our PCT journey, and understood the hiking culture better most – like why Alex wanted to wear her formerly-white trail shoes to the ceremony. We had hiked with him for several days in the last few hundred miles, giving us plenty of time to get to know one another, talk logistics and photo ideas, and become great friends.

This morning, we put on the suit and strategically chosen calf-length wedding dress (just short enough to hike in!) in the BnB as storms were ripping through the area. Rain was hammering down across the desert. It was the first rain the desert had seen in months. It was the first rain we’d seen in a month. But that didn’t stop us!

Yesterday, today’s forecast was looking ominous. Our original plan was to walk the last 2.5 miles in our wedding attire and with family in tow, and do the ceremony at the terminus. But, the storm was fast approaching and we didn’t want to subject our clean families to an hour of hiking in torrential rain. As a contingency, yesterday we hiked all but the last half mile, leaving a shorter, more manageable distance for today’s hike in the potential rain. We’d come this far and we were not going to skip any miles now.

It became clear this morning that heavy rain was likely near the time of the ceremony. So, we flipped the script and pivoted to our rain plan. It revolved around using the hiker structure at Camp Lockett Equestrian Event Facility (CLEEF). The aesthetic was very PCT – scattered tables, dingy corners, notes to hikers about wifi and water, and a wide open view of the surrounding desert landscape. And, it was just a half mile from the terminus and easily accessible by road. The CLEEF structure had been the stopping point of our hike yesterday, so we had a chance to scope it out. By thruhiker standards, it was chock full of amenities – covered roof, tables, running water, electricity, and even wifi! For our guests, it would provide a nice taste of thruhiker life.

When we drove up to the CLEEF structure this morning and walked inside, we were greeted by glowing string lights – thanks Bob! – and a small sea of familiar faces. After months of wandering the wilderness in (mostly) isolation, it was intensely special and overwhelming to see our parents and siblings all at once.

We mingled for a bit to wait out a wave of heavy rain so we wouldn’t have to shout our vows at each other (although that would have been funny). When the rain cleared, Jason and I stepped out behind the structure for a quiet hug. Neither of us had nerves or worries or a hint of stress. We had each other. We returned through a bubble tunnel as everyone aimed bubble guns at us and cheered us up to the “alter” – a spot cleared of tables at the exposed side of the structure.

Our ceremony was led by our incredible friend Ciara who was conveniently local to San Diego and ordained. She had been planning with us in secrecy for two months and had been totally onboard with our uncertain and unconventional wedding plans. When we asked her to be a part of this several months back, she had given us a script for the ceremony within hours. She had even offered to bring her tiny pup Phoebe to the ceremony! We, of course, had said yes. Phoebe is adorable.

Our families sat at the surrounding benches. Everyone had a front row seat! Ciara opened the ceremony by highlighting the uniqueness of the event and our thirteen-year journey as a couple. We said our vows, exchanged rings, and kissed as rain fell in the desert behind us.

But, we still had a hike to finish! And the rain had just stopped. With family in tow, we splashed our way up the soggy trail to the Mexican border. We smiled to each other as they oohed and aahed at the desert things that had surrounded us for weeks: cacti, rocks, sand, and scrub.

At last, we reached the terminus. With family gathered around to cheer us on, we held hands and stared at the concrete terminus monument. We had thought about this moment a lot over all those miles. Then, with our free hands, we both slapped the terminus right on the PCT logo, hard. DONE. We wrote our names in the terminus trail log, officially signing off the PCT and completing our journey.

As we all celebrated with hugs and laughter and champagne, the sun broke through the clouds and cast a warm light over the terminus. Sunglasses replaced jackets. The scene glowed. It was magical.

The celebration marked the end of the hike. But, we like each other, and we make a good team. We will be on another adventure together soon. This is just the beginning.

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We will share TimTam’s professional photos of the wedding on here when we get them in a few weeks. We are not rushing him! He just finished his own thruhike and deserves to take a break. For now, here are some photos taken by family.