My journey hiking the long-distance Continental Divide Trail
Daily Log: Day 73
73 2975.3 8/26/2021 overcast, sunny, clouds in afternoon. Justin and I woke around 5:15 for our final push to the border. We left Fifty Mountain campsite about 6:10. We had an immediate climb and then a long 2500’ descent. After 8 miles we arrived at Kootenai campsite. We set up our tents, unloaded all non-essentials, messaged Katie and slack packed the next 7 miles to the border. I pushed my legs as fast as I could go. We arrived about 1:05 pm and saw Katie waving her arms. We had made it. I HAD COMPLETED THE CDT! Photos, cards, patches, suckers were part of the celebration. Then we all had lunch together sitting on the Waterton Lake. beach. This included Chili-Mac dinner for me brought by Katie and cooked by Justin. There were other tourists and we explained what we were celebrating. After our lunch we said our goodbyes. Katie left for Waterton and Justin and I hiked 7 miles back to Kootenai campground. Tomorrow Justin and I will climb 2500’ back to Fifty Mountain and then descended 3000′ to Packer’s Roost and the Jeep. It’s supposed to rain so we expect it to be a very long slog of a hike. But we are done and we will celebrate with Katie this time in Kalispel MT at the Holiday Inn Express. This means hot showers, clean clothes and a meal together. I am so much looking forward to this. Until then, night, night. At Kootenai campground
Dearest Katie, Thank you for meeting me at the end of the PCT, AT, and now CDT. It means a lot to me that you had the time and energy to come celebrate with me and to be there for these special life accomplishments. Love, Dad
Dearest Justin, I can’t thank you enough for your help shepherding, organizing, aiding and just being there with me on this CDT journey from Wyoming to Cuba New Mexico in 2020 and from Wyoming to the Canadian border in 2021. I could not have done this without you and your support. Love, Dad
Leaving Fifty Mountain campground Justin and I took a selfie (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)Much of the the time the trail was overgrown with Thimbleberries, a large-leafed no-thorned edible-raspberry-like-fruit plant (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)Adding to the fun was another suspension bridge to cross (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)Just after 1 PM on August 26, 2021 Tartan arrives at the US – Canadian border (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)Tartan completes his long-distance hike of the Continental Divide Trail (Photograph Courtesy of K. Watt)Team Tartan celebrates at the CDT northern border monument (Photograph Courtesy of K. Watt)Team Tartan congratulates Tartan on his achieving his Triple Crown of Hiking (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)To document his Triple Crown of Hiking Katie presented Tartan with patches for each of the trails: PCT, AT and CDT (Photograph Courtesy of K. Watt)During a quiet moment Tartan contemplates his accomplishment and silently thanks all the family, friends and other people who helped him achieve his goal. He couldn’t have done it without them (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)Nearby the monument we sat on the beach, opened cards and had lunch. Katie had crossed the US – Canadian border by car, driven to Waterton Canada, stayed overnight, and that morning she had hiked south to the monument to meet us. She has been at the end of each of my long distance hikes: PCT, AT and now CDT (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)Justin and I at the monument having shared so many adventures in these past two years and 2000 miles (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)The two monuments at the US – Canadian border on the west side of Upper Waterton Lake. Across the lake on the east side notice the clear-cut demarkation of the border running up the mountain (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt) Soon we had to part. Katie returning to her rental car, driving back to the US and a hotel in Kalispell MT. Us to our Kootenai campgound in GNP where we celebrated the ending of a very memorable day by tapping the filters on our water bottles in celebration (Photograph Courtesy of J. Watt)
