Day 147: Waterton Town Site to the Monument, ~8 miles, total miles-gotta add that up
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end. – Ursula K. LeGuin
Most days, hiking a long distance trail is not about the monuments on either end of the border. But this morning, upon reaching the shore of Upper Waterton Lake and seeing the four foot stone pillar noting the 49th parallel, reaching the monument has bearing. We’ve completed the physical part of our journey along the Continental Divide Trail, having linked our steps from Mexico to Canada. Mostly on trail, always on route.
Today encompassed so much of why we love walking long distances.
A few pictures for now. Stories to come.
Signs of the times.
We made it!!
Gabriel “bestrides” the USA and Canada!
Mukmuk and Marmot at the border. Note the very well maintained border swath behind us.
Mukmuk and Gabriel’s Gatorade water bottle made it the whole way.
The monument and my trusty pack look south to Glacier National Park.
Enjoying the dock between Canada and the US.
We stopped at Bertha Bay for a little relaxation time. Gabriel skipped stones. I took a plunge into the lake.
Dancing? The sign implies that one should watch out for deer. I found it greatly amusing.
Birdie at the crossroads of Waterton Lakes National Park. Many thanks to Birdie for getting the three of us a ride from the park to East Glacier, MT. Many more thanks to Ernie, JoAnne, and Scooter for the ride, the fresh fruit, and continuing the magic of the trail. Congratulations to Birdie on completing her Triple Crown!
Stride, Marmot, and Rattlebee! We got back to East Glacier with just enough time to catch up with some of our dearly beloved trail family whom we hadn’t see for a thousand miles or so. Hope they are having a blast as they finish their time on the CDT. And congratulations to Stride on completing her TRIPLE CROWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PS for Opus. Rattlebee and Stride say hello!
marmot's adventures 
Hi Lindsay. My name is Brian Harms and I work for the Park Service in Glacier National Park. While doing some trail assessment I found your lost camera. Please email me @ brian.l.harms@nps.gov and we can try to make arrangements to get it back to you before you continue on from East Glacier.
Hi Brian,
I just got your note via my blog, marmotsadventures.com, about my lost camera. I sent a message to the email address provided (brian.l.harms@nps.gov) but got a bounce back message from the Department of Interior.
However you found the camera AND were able to identify it’s owner is terrific news!
After finishing the CDT, I headed home to Seattle. I would be happy to send a prepaid envelope to you so you can mail the camera to me. Would that work?
Many, MANY, many thanks for all the effort to reunite hiker and camera!
Lindsay
love these photos! beautiful ending to a extraordinary trip