Our last day was a monumental 9 mile hike back to the car at Loon Lake. We set the alarm for 5:30 am, made the rest of our oatmeal and hit the trail. The early morning made the hike much more bearable, though still hot, but the added benefit of leaving early was the wildlife. Justin had remarked that we really hadn't seen much big wildlife about fifteen minutes before we startled a moose cow and sent it crunching through the wilderness up a hill. I have an affection for moose that I can't particularly understand, but they are definitely my favorite animal to come across while hiking so this was a nice treat. But only thirty minutes later we came across another moose cow and calf just before Bridal Veil Falls to cement this being the most exciting day hiking from an animal viewing perspective.

The last few miles of the hike were tedious (aren't they always?). We eventually collapsed next to the car, changed clothes and headed for Sven and Oles post haste. Quite a fun trip, exhausting but good. I would have liked to do more of the Border Route, but five days kind of limited us and we saw what we came to see. I would definitely recommend the Border Route as a fantastic wilderness trail!

Distance hiked today: 9.0 miles Total: ~30 miles