The joyous, muddy end of an epic Pacific Crest journey

CAMPO, Calif., — A 17 percent chance turned into a sure thing Sunday in a remote part of Southern California at the border with Mexico.

That's when Shawn "Pepper" Forry and Justin "Trauma" Lichter trudged up a muddy hillside during a desert downpour to reach the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail.

The two men had just completed what's thought to be the first documented, wintertime through-hike of the iconic, 2,650-mile footpath from Canada to Mexico.

"My heart is still racing," said Forry, 33, moments after touching the trailhead marker. "It is a pretty joyous moment."

Lichter, 34, was similarly moved when he saw the small crowd of friends, family and Pacific Crest Trail enthusiasts who had been waiting for hours in the rain to greet them.

"It is awesome seeing people up here, cheering for us," said Lichter, of Truckee. "That is unexpected and amazing."

Before their start date October 21 Forry told friends he calculated their odds of succeeding at 17 percent.

But those odds took a sharp jump for the better a few weeks ago when the duo descended from the High Sierra tired, hungry but otherwise unscathed.

For people in the hiking community who track accomplishments on the Pacific Crest Trail the successful culmination of a wintertime hike is considered a monumental accomplishment.

"What they did was totally badass by any stretch of the imagination," said Pea "Girl Scout" Hicks of San Diego. Hicks, who like many through-hikers goes by a nickname known as a trail name, has through-hiked the trail during spring and summer, what he calls the "normal" season for making such a trip.

"This is not normal," Hicks said.

Hicks and others, including Pacific Crest Trail Association spokesman Jack "Found" Haskel said they're not aware of previous, successful through-hikes of the trail during winter, although others have done "yo-yo" hikes, in which they hike the trail in both directions in the course of one journey.

"It is an idea that comes up every season, but it has always been more of a theoretical," Hicks said.

Also waiting at the trailhead were Forry's parents, Randy and Patricia Forry. They traveled from York, Pa., to share the moment.

They both said there were some tense moments during the past four months as their son spent long stretches out of contact and traveling through treacherous terrain by snowshoe, ski and boot.

"It is scary when he plans these adventures but we have learned he is so meticuous in his planning I think he takes into account all the bad things that can happen," Randy Forry said. "Over the years we have gotten used to it but this particular hike, I know how bad the snowfalls can get."

Patricia Forry said she was relieved when they left the Sierra Nevada but didn't completely stop worrying until the end of the journey.

"I was following it and just held my breath for each stage," she said.

Forry and Lichter are both accomplished through-hikers and adventurers. Before the most recent trek each had already hiked the Pacific Crest, Appalachian and Continental Divide trails, what's known as the Triple Crown of American hiking.

But the hike they finished Sunday was different mostly because there were so many unknowns. Also because both men are practitioners of "ultralight hiking," in which hikers travel as lightly as possible by carrying only the barest essentials.

For example, rather than using a standard tent Lichter and Forry used a fabric shelter that staked down at the corners and was propped up in the center with a trekking pole.

During the early stages of the trip in Washington and Oregon they traveled on snowshoes. When they reached the Truckee area they switched to skis and spent about 400 miles "survival skiing" over and around rocks, brush and ice. For the latter part of the trip they wore lightweight hiking boots.

After suffering frostbite and day-after-day of hiking in cold, wet clothes both said they would carry memories from the journey for the rest of their lives. But they were also happy to be finished. At least for now.

They hiked the last 20 miles from Lake Morena, Calif., to Campo with Michael "Nacho" Vaz and Remy "Vogue" Levin, also Triple Crowners.

Despite the rain and anticipation of the finish line they still managed to make a few new trail memories in the final hours.

"We passed a bunch of northbounders who were starting off today and congratulated them on taking the first steps," Forry said. "You can kind of see in their eyes the same kind of nerves you had when you started off months ago."