Editor's note: This is the final update from Sue Farley of the Helena National Forest on her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.

I am relieved to report Operation Return Dusty Home was successfully accomplished.

The Helena Adventure Girls secured a monster-sized motor home and daringly navigated to British Columbia without taking out any pedestrians. Dusty fulfilled her part by reaching the Canadian border exactly five months to the day after leaving Mexico.

How do you summarize a five-month trip of a lifetime? It's nearly as challenging as the trek itself. Looking like a deer in headlights, Dusty had difficulty describing the emotions, the experiences and the grueling nature of the trip. "It's wasn't your typical backpacking trip, it was an arduous job!" she answered as we interrogated her in the motorhome.

While we envisioned our co-worker Sue Farley (aka Dusty) on a five-month vacation, she was hard at work. "Until you experience something like this it's difficult to comprehend," she said. The first few days along the Pacific Crest Trail were a huge reality check. "With all the planning I did ahead of time, there was no way to anticipate just how hard it would be. I had to treat it like a job," she said, in order to complete her lifelong dream.

Despite the freedom of the trail, Dusty was actually enslaved to a rigorous schedule. The threat of September snows in the Cascades required her to hike 25 miles or more a day. Day after day, Dusty was up at first light and to work on the trail by 6 or 7 a.m. Just like at a job, she would only allow herself a 15-minute break in the morning, a half-hour break for lunch and maybe an afternoon break if she was making good time.

It wasn't until Dusty reached Northern California that she finally felt strong and the miles came easier. At first her body went through a phase of "deconstruction." She felt her body literally taking itself apart, burning both fat and muscle. "Finally I entered the 'reconstruction phase' when I began rebuilding muscle where I needed it."

Surprisingly the last two weeks were the most difficult. While the Cascades were not the most physically strenuous, it was the mental ups and downs that were most challenging.

"I was faced with lots of emotional obstacles; the threat of oncoming weather, I was weak and tired and I missed the encouragement of trail friends. Toward the end, I had an overwhelming heaviness in my heart. I was so close, but still had so far to go. I couldn't and wouldn't let myself quit," she said.

The outstanding scenery, the charm of quaint towns and the chance to do this were all rewarding, but it is the people she will cherish the most.

"There is an instant connection amongst thru-hikers," she said.

With a softness in her voice, Dusty recalled a special evening. "A group of us camped together along a sandy beach next to a stream. After a beautiful sunset, Dalton pulled out his light-weight guitar and we spent hours singing around the campfire," said Dusty. "Even though we had just met, it felt like we had been lifelong friends."

While there may be a tendency to stereotype thru-hikers as bums or drifters, Dusty noted that isn't the case at all.

"A majority of thru-hikers are college graduates or professionals," she reported. "There is this mobile community that consists of a mix of people, each with their own story to tell that come together with one common goal."

They were young and old, doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, teachers and recent graduates. Of the nearly 300 thru-hikers who began last spring, it is estimated that only 180 will complete the trail.

Forty pounds lighter and nearly 2,655 miles later, Dusty finished her trip on Sept. 27, joined by eight other hikers she met at Stehekin, Wash. One man who was met by family and friends celebrated his accomplishment by getting down on one knee and proposing to his girlfriend.

"That was special for all of us," said Dusty.

The "finish-line" came just days before a fall storm dumped several feet of snow on some of the hikers behind her. Rather than feeling elated, she felt almost a letdown.

"The actual moment of crossing the border happened in a blink of an eye. The finish was bittersweet. I realized the whole experience wasn't about the destination rather it was about the journey. And this journey will stay with me for a lifetime," she said proudly.

When asked, "What's next?" she was noncommittal about another long-distance, border-to-border hike, but would consider it given the opportunity. For now, Dusty enjoys reflecting on her journey through the pictures and stories she shares.

Amy Teegarden is information officer for the Helena National Forest and one of the Helena Adventure Girls.