Mike Druce is a long way from home.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When we speak with the 59-year-old Gerringong resident, he is in the small town of Leavenworth, in the US state of Washington about 200 miles from the Canadian border.
After refuelling in town, Mr Druce will head back into the mountains and travel that 200 miles (321km) on foot, completing an epic 4270 kilometre unsupported hike from the Mexican border to Canada.
There's just one problem.
"There are wildfires near the end of the trail," he tells us via a WhatsApp voice call. "The last 60 miles is closed at the moment but we're hoping, because the weather has been a bit more favourable, that it will open up.
If the trail does not re-open, Mr Druce and his band of international hikers that have found each other along the way will use an alternative route, or if that fails, kayak the last section.
"There's still a few unknowns, and we've got some extra adventures."
Mr Druce began his adventure in mid May, and has spent the last four month hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, one of the Triple Crown trails of America, seen as the pinnacle of long distance hiking.
The Pacific Crest Trail, starting at Campo, California on the border with Mexico, follows the highest portions of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges through California, Oregon and Washington, before finishing at the Canadian border.
Mr Druce, a former head coach of the Australian slalom canoe team, has been preparing for this hike for months, but says he honed his technique on a route on the other side of the Pacific.
"I did the Gerringong to Kiama coastal track with my pack loaded up as much as I could. I was lucky to have something like that so I could get out from home and put in some distance with all my gear before I went."
Prior to embarking on this hike through North America, Mr Druce had retraced the steps of escaped prisoners of war who broke out of the inescapable Colditz Castle in Germany in World War Two and made it to Switzerland, but Mr Druce says this hike is a step above.
"This is the one, which if you're into long hikes, everybody talks about as being the big challenge and an amazing experience along the way."
Mr Druce is completing the trail unsupported, meaning everything he needs is in a pack on his back for the entire journey. Along the way, he has met with other hikers from Canada and Japan and they have shared meals and camped together, but each is completing the hike separately.
For Mr Druce, one constant companion is the plight of refugees, as he is using the hike to raise money for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). So far, he has raised over $1500 but is hoping to build on that as he approaches the end of the hike.
He is accepting donations here: teamunhcr.org.au/mike-druce
With conflicts such as those in Syria and Ukraine displacing millions of people, many refugees are also far from their home, but Mr Druce says there is one crucial difference.
"I was lucky to have the freedom to choose my long walk, a lot of people just have to do it to try and get to a safe place."
With the finish line now only a week away, Mr Druce said he's had the time to reflect on how far he's come, from the deserts and scrubland of California, to the lush forests and waterways of Oregon and the meadows and tundra of Washington but says there was one moment that will remain with him well after he gets back to Gerringong.
"The first big mountain range that you go into is the Sierras and the first big pass that you go over, you come over the final steps at the top and you're climbing all these switchbacks, virtually a cliff, and then you step up the last step and suddenly the whole of Kings Canyon National Park opens up," he said.
"It's an incredible mountainscape, the likes of which I've never seen."
What's next? Mr Druce isn't sure yet, but is looking forward to spending some time off his feet and back with his wife and kids in Australia.
"I'm sure there'll be something that I'll do, but at the moment I'm looking forward to having a few days with my feet up."
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
