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Glacier Peak Wilderness - Day 15

In the morning, we visited the first ever Starbucks cafe to buy Diane's mom the original Starbucks coffee that they apparently only sold there. We had breakfast while looking out over the gloomy harbor.

first ever starbucks in seattle

The flight back went according to plan. We arrived in NYC at midnight, so we decided to splurge on a cab home (Diane didn't want to hitchhike) :). I went to sleep around 2:00, still tired from the hike, knowing I would have to run 35 km the next day to stick to my marathon training schedule.

Overall our hike had been a success. The landscape had been beautiful and remote, yet not too dangerous. Although we had several really tough days, Diane had done well and gained a lot of experience. Due to the huge amount of elevation gain this hike had been pretty tough on me as well. If I ever do a similar hike again, I will definitely bring much lighter gear. During my previous trips I have always focused on durability rather than weight, but with a well-trodden trail and premade campsites that isn't really necessary. I would likely also bring a Garmin Inreach rather than my current Mini, as that has better GPS reception and shows a digital map. With that, we probably wouldn't have lost the trail on day 1 and realized we were off the PCT on day 8. I would also reconsider bringing bear canisters and spray, likely depending on if there are only black bears or also grizzly bears.

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