Gabe Has Finished Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail!! Directly below is posted his final Journal entry, but we also encourage our faithful viewers to direct your attention to some much needed updates that have just been posted. Please check out the new pictures and the newjournal entries which have been made. Thank you! -REACHquest Site Mngmnt.

I did it. I'm done. I walked from the Border of Mexico to the border of Canada without skipping a step.

On Monday Oct.10th at 2:30 in the afternoon, I stepped across the border into Canada. I stood alone in silence staring at the Monument that marked the northen terminus of the PCT. Five and a half months of brilliant memories existed all in that same moment like matter condensing in a black hole. I touched my cheek to the monument. It was real. "H" soon appeared and we wept together. Words were irrelevant. Even now, as I sit comfortably at home before my computer, the words do not come. I feel like if I were to try to confine that feeling to human language, I would destroy it. It was a moment in my life that will always live in a world beyond words. A beautiful unexplained place that needs no explanation. That is where it belongs, and there it will nurture my soul forever.

Soon Bloody Knuckles, with whom we hiked the last 200 miles, joined us and there was much rejoicing (yaaay). We all read and signed the final register and spent a couple of hours on the border relishing our victory. It was still an 8 mile hike down to the closest civilization, but before we left, I got an overwheling desire to yell at the top of my lungs. To see us yelling there, one would think that we had lost touch with reality. Well maybe we had, but I was only aware of reaching into the depths of my soul and pulling up every emotion that existed within me and letting it out though my vocal chords. I yelled in every direction and stopped only when my throat hurt too much to continue. And that was it. We walked into town, met my incredible parents who drove to Canada to pick me up, and feasted like royalty in the Manning Park Lodge.

So I guess I achieved my goal. But on the final days of my trek through the beautiful North Cascades, it became clear that the goal of getting to Canada served me best by teaching me to meet my daily goals. Those are the ones that count. They are the goals of every present moment. To learn how to take pleasure in the simple things of life. To get dirty and not care. To let go of needless worry and knock down the walls within that interrupt personal growth. To walk 40 miles in 13 hours. To find peace and a personal refuge to which I can always return. To surround myself with strong, loving people. To walk through snow and freezing rain, to shiver in a wet bag all night, to put on frozen shoes in the morning before the sun is up and find the strength from within to keep going.

And now I am home with a brand new set of challenges before me. I am ready for them. Hardship is an inevitable part of life, and to darken my time here with the fear of such experiences would be robbing myself of the beauty that this place has to offer. Plus, it seems to me that there is no better teacher than pain anyway. So hereÕs to life. May it bring us all closer to our goals.

Thank you all for following me and supporting me along this journey. You have helped me more than you know.

-Whistler

PS. Thus far, this project has raised almost $25,000, and we will be accepting donations through the end of this year. Thank you.

My name is Gabe Shonerd and I live in Medford, Oregon. I am twenty-twoyears old and a recent graduate of the University of Oregon with amajor in Spanish. Graduate school is calling to me, but at this moment,I am enticed by an exquisite project.

Throughout my life, I have been blessed in many ways. I consider myself a privileged individual and feel that it is my duty to help those less fortunate than me.During my senior year of college, I began to focus on finding a way togive back to a world that has given me so much. Shortly thereafter, Iwas lucky enough to learn about the extraordinary work of the REACH Family Institute.

REACH is a small nonprofit organization that is devoted to making miracles happen for brain-injured children. Their work has nurtured thelives of thousands of children and their families in ways that supercede the confines of conventional medical doctrines. The Institute does everything possible to make the program accessible, but many families still cannot afford the cost. I want to make a difference inthe lives of these children so that they can grow up to achieve their full potential and experience the most that life can offer them.

I believe that children deserve quality professional consultation regardless of how much money their parents make. Unfortunately, this goal has yet to be reached. As a step towards meeting the needs of these children, I decided to organize an ambitious fundraiser. I intend to create scholarships for those handicapped children from low-income families.

In April 2005, I will begin a journey on foot that will take me five months to complete. Starting at the Mexican border, I will hike 2,658 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail finishing at the border of Canada inSeptember.

I expect this to be the most challenging yet rewarding endeavor of my life. If you choose to sponsor this trek for the children or you just want to stay informed, you are invited to follow my progress on line here at www.reachquest.org/news where I will post weekly updates of my haps and mishaps on the trail. You can also e-mail me at gabesho@pocketmail.com where words of encouragement are always welcome.

Now, let us combine our efforts and resources to build a better future for these children. Thank you for you support.