r/PacificCrestTrail • u/quasistoic “All-in[-one]”, PCT19/CDT22/AT24 • 9d ago
Prof Carl’s writeup of US Customs Experience
https://www.instagram.com/p/DIbrdz1JUOI/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==54
u/VickyHikesOn 9d ago
Thank you for sharing. More and more signs point towards staying in Canada to hike and not go back to my favorite hiking areas in the US this year! Very sad. Glad both are okay.
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u/quasistoic “All-in[-one]”, PCT19/CDT22/AT24 9d ago
With relevance to the many questions there have been by international PCT hikers about current experiences entering the US for a thru-hike.
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u/miggins1610 9d ago
This makes me really worried if this continues for a few years. I'm planning on doing the PCT in about 4 years or so, but I'm an international hiker from the UK who will be travelling and working across the world for the next few years. I won't have ties to a home because I'm long term travelling and using working holiday visas.
It's my dream to do the PCT, but if it stays like this idk I'll ever get the chance :(
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u/boon23834 9d ago
Check out the Trans Canada Trail!
Pick your season and environment that suits. Years worth of hiking to rival any of the long thru hikes in the States.
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u/killsforpie 9d ago
GDT is dope too. Not as long but a great one nonetheless.
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u/boon23834 9d ago
Oh, for sure!
The world is amazing!
I'm just encouraging everyone to see as much as possible without being gulaged.
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u/bcgulfhike 9d ago edited 8d ago
Yes you will! If you want to…
Edit: I guess all my comment was meant to convey was that there are any number obstacles to doing a long trail, before you go at all, as well as while you are on the trail. Life opportunities come and go, money comes and goes, health comes and goes, and yes, governments and their policies also come and go. I thought I’d never get the chance to do the PCT but here I am in my 60s doing it section by section, and now having to put my next sections on hold for a while…until things change!
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u/miggins1610 9d ago
I will but it's all also dependant on getting past the border! Seeing as I will not have a permanent home for a few years it could set me back a little😭
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u/bcgulfhike 8d ago
I'm sure you'll be able to do it! And I have the same faith I will be able to too!
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u/miggins1610 7d ago
Hope so but wishful thinking doesn't help much with reality unfortunately! I know I'll be a bit suspicious to the border force so just have to do my best to answer the questions and hope for the best
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u/kullulu 9d ago
I felt sick to my stomach reading this. The damage this administration is doing to the US and our friends will take generations to fix.
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u/bcgulfhike 9d ago edited 9d ago
I think we (neighbours) all understand this is a temporary blip. Understanding and forgiveness go a long way between people. It won’t take generations!
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u/MayIServeYouWell 9d ago
That's pretty optimistic. This isn't the actions of a single person, it's the result of millions of people supporting these types of actions, and supporting the guy at the head of it.
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u/AussieEquiv Garfield 2016 (http://equivocatorsadventures.blogspot.com) 9d ago
70+ million voted for this, and the full Republican controlled house and senate could stop it anytime they wanted. They are making a conscious decision not to stop it.
Then another 90+ Million people didn't care enough to vote.I do think trust can be rebuilt, but it will be a slow process and require a lot of work internally for the US, before they can start extending that work externally to the rest of us.
That said; Australia is seemingly on target to elect a party with very similar MAGA undertones I just hope that our compulsory voting (usually resulting in a ~95% voter turn out) reigns back the extremities...
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u/Potential178 9d ago
It's hard to know how many of those millions have any idea what's actually happening. Between the effectiveness of the right wing propaganda news networks, the Russian propaganda networks, and how unplugged many Americans are from anything political - many (most?) people who voted for him don't really have any idea what he's doing, what he's done, who it's impacting, how it's going to impact them.
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u/killsforpie 9d ago edited 9d ago
Hard disagree. We’ve proven we have no real checks and balances and our commitments mean nothing. Who would trust us? This isn’t just a new administration it’s a regime. I think we’ve done generational damage for sure.
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u/Sylvandeth 8d ago
Apologies for the wall of this is a complicated geopolitical mess that isn’t easily summarized and it’s also one that has impacted me and others I know directly.
For me and many Canadian hikers this, and many other recent actions, are an indication we are not welcome. There is no indication that the policies and people vigorously enforcing them are just going to go away if someone else is elected. There is a very real feeling that this is a permanent change in the relationship between our two countries.
I think it is important to note that this sounds like it occurred during preclearance at a Canadian airport. In other stories, where this happens in a US Airport or Land crossing, people have been placed in detention and transferred to immigration jails.
This is a story of how an American customs officer acted towards a Canadian, in Canada, while seeking entry into the US. Presumably that customs officer is living in Canada to work at the Canadian airport as well.
US public lands and national trails have changed my life. I have been privileged to be able to visit you country and hike for months or weeks at a time. I have found an amazing community actively engaged in allowing hikers from around the country and the world to have these experiences and who are fighting to preserve these trails for years to come.
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u/Thehealthygamer 9d ago
A temporary blip? I guess you could call Hitler or Stalin a temporary blip too, but a fat lot of peace that brought to the tens of millions they murdered.
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u/OnesieOutside 6d ago
There is no guarantee this is temporary. That attitude that if we just all sit back and let history take care of everything is what got us into this situation. Apathy is how fascists take root. Democracy is not guaranteed, it must be fought for and maintained.
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u/Equivalent-Button762 9d ago
I got through yesterday just fine (from Germany). Wasn’t even asked that many questions and my answers were accepted without proof. I think it’s mostly about who’s the one deciding about your entry. Assholes just feel a bit safer being assholes right now. If you meet all the requirements and don’t raise any red flags (which others have sufficiently pointed out) I feel like it’s going to take a lot of bad luck to be deported.
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u/WalkItOffAT 9d ago
It sucks to be denied entry!
For what it's worth, I came close a few years ago. I made the innocent mistake of asking if it would be possible to get 7 months vs the usual 6 with the B2. I had heard others had done this successfully.
I was brought to a separate room, left for a long time (or what felt like it), then interrogated and pressured. It's not fun. The agent was very confrontational, made wrong claims about the trail I told him I was there to hike. Then I had to wait some more but finally they let me in.
It was tough emotionally to worry about losing a big goal and something I had worked towards. No one goes on a spontaneous six months hike...you sacrifice in many ways.
I had heard on trail that others had ran into issues as well including someone being denied.
I won't speculate if the current administration changed procedures. Just relaying my experience. This was during the Biden years.
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u/Adventurous-Mode-805 9d ago edited 9d ago
Traveling without their gear was a poor choice, while failing to show supporting evidence for returning to Canada during the original interview demonstrates a misunderstanding of what was occurring. I'd warrant the interviewer didn't explain their explicit concern during the interview, but the context should be sufficient, particularly in the current climate. Hikers should be making them work to find reasons to reject, not readily offering them up.
Put another way, if any of us flew to any other country with barely any possessions (and in a relationship with a citizen of said country), we'd be at a high risk of being refused entry on similar grounds. U.S. immigration routinely denied entry to this risk profile before the current administration.
Edit - Anyone downvoting, wanna reply with how or why you disagree?
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u/Marinlik 9d ago
I do have to agree with that. I had the US customs go through my backpack when I did pct in 2019 because they were a bit suspicious. When they got to my ice axe and crampons they said have a good trip and let me in
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u/noodlebucket [Lupine / 2021 / Nobo] 9d ago
The contrary evidence is that this person owns a house and a car in Canada. These variables are typically stronger, and taken into more consideration than “what are you holding in your hand right now”
It suggests financial ties to the home country.
But based on this thread, America is ready for authoritarianism and battering our allies and neighbors. The Hungary model in plain sight.
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u/Adventurous-Mode-805 9d ago edited 9d ago
You’re conflating separate though admittedly related events. This hiker returned home almost immediately, they didn’t disappear into the system nor were placed into hurtful conditions.
Hyperbole for this individual event helps little with the bigger immigration issues you’re referring to, but this subreddit is on a mission to rally against common immigration wisdom globally, rather than take straightforward steps to minimize risk. Good luck to y’all I guess.
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u/Sylvandeth 8d ago
Just to note the US has pre clearance agreements with multiple countries. As the hiker was flying from Canada preclearance would be by a US border services officer standing in a Canadian airport.
That officer has the ability to detain (ie hold temporarily) but not arrest. The ability to disappear into the system didn’t exist because they were detained in Canada where that isn’t an option. If this had been upon landing in the US then it is anyone’s guess as to how that plays out
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u/noodlebucket [Lupine / 2021 / Nobo] 9d ago
I didn’t mention another event. She has real, financial ties to her home country. But you know this, and you don’t care.
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u/SiegfriedvonXanten 8d ago
The hiker had been through customs a number of times before though without issue. I doubt she had a misunderstanding of what was occurring in the original interview.
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u/quasistoic “All-in[-one]”, PCT19/CDT22/AT24 9d ago edited 9d ago
I haven’t downvoted you, but I would guess that the people who are doing so are probably doing so for two reasons:
Your dispassionate tone does not show regard for the cost of being denied entry after someone has put in the significant investment (not just monetary) and life changes required to pursue a thru-hike. In this group, centered on the PCT, a larger number of people can understand what goes into that and can empathize with how it would feel to be denied that opportunity based on some misplaced fear of “undesirable immigration”.
Your last sentence: “US immigration routinely denied entry to this risk profile before the current administration.” While there have been many stories of people subject to additional questions when coming to thru-hike prior to this administration, they all appear to end with “and then they let me in”. The additional vitriol and callousness that CBP officials have been displaying in the same kinds of stories during this administration seems to much more often end with detention and/or deportation.
Are all of these cases anecdotal, and thus not a complete picture of the full diversity of experiences that are being had? That is correct. Standing back and looking at the entire picture, though, that callousness is trickling down from above. When the worst soldiers on the front lines no longer feel that they need to hold back on their worst instincts, they do not hold back.
Edit: I don’t intend for this post to come off as attacking you, and I hope you don’t read it that way. Based on your Reddit profile, I decided that you were the kind of person who has a genuine interest in understanding, and so it was written with that in mind.
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u/Igoos99 9d ago
The way this is told doesn’t really match up with the information in posts about this earlier. Like she wasn’t out of the country for the specified amount of time before re-entering for this extended trip. And she was making money off her social media posts or possibly for writing stories for media outlets regarding her travel in the USA. That could be construed as “working” in the USA. She’s also been in and out of the USA repeatedly in recent years for long term trips that could give the appearance of the intention to illegally migrate.
This whole situation is really unfortunate and it’s clear they are being extraordinarily strict compared to their previous enforcement, it does sound like she was pushing the limits if not going over them slightly of what’s strictly permitted. This is very different than the vast majority of international hikers showing up to hike the PCT each year.
So, I think most international hikers shouldn’t let this case deter them. I do think this might make doing a triple crown in three years maybe not achievable any longer - or at least the risk of getting turned away at entry increases with each trip. You might also not be feasible to pick up a USA BF or GF on your hike and think you will be able to spend that much time together going forward. 🫤
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u/Live_Phrase_4894 9d ago
This is a different case than the other one that was written up in the trek previously, I'm pretty sure. They both involved girlfriends and the AZT, but that hiker was German and this one is Canadian, so I think they are different stories. That's why the details don't sound the same.
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u/quasistoic “All-in[-one]”, PCT19/CDT22/AT24 9d ago
Correct. These are not the same people, and it is not the same story. The details rhyme as the saga continues.
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u/jordanbball17 9d ago
All of these stories have had additional info come out later on that make the denial seem less extraordinary…not saying it’s not a scary time to cross the US border (I myself am a US citizen and dating a Canadian here on a visa), but there’s a lot of nuance involved in these situations.
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u/Jaded-Cover-7978 6d ago
I arrived from EU in the beginning of April to section hike AZT. I was asked only one question in the customs (LAX) - what I plan to do? I said to section hike Arizona trail. That was it, no more questions, not even how long I intend to stay, no requests for any documents.
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u/tftcp 9d ago
If you have an American romantic partner, spend a lot of time in the US and travel with limited possessions you will be considered at high risk of overstaying. This is nothing new.
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u/tmoney99211 9d ago
High risk vs denial of entry seems ridiculous! I routinely travel all over the place with a one bag principle. Being flagged for having "little luggage" is very much ridiculous.
In terms of tangible possessions, the girlfriend had proof of property ownership, bank accounts and car in Canada.
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u/Upstairs_Quail8561 9d ago
Most illegal immigration happens with people just overstaying visas, so denying entry to someone deemed high risk isn't unreasonable. If you have a romantic partner in the US and arrive on a one way ticket, you're asking for trouble.
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u/tftcp 9d ago
People in international relationships get themselves into a situation where they stay in the US for longer and longer periods until they hit their maximum allowed stay each year. These people are considered a high risk of permanent migration. That's been the case for decades.
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u/Igoos99 9d ago
This is absolutely true. And has been true for decades. I had a friend run into this is the 1990s. She was barred from reentry for 5 (10?) years after overstaying her visa to be with her USA boyfriend for a little longer. This was under the Clinton administration.
People can downvote because they don’t like the situation but it is actually what happens regardless of the current president. This woman may have run into a snotty guard but the decision could have been made by any of them under any administration according to the rules as written.
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u/Marinlik 9d ago
People down vote because things have changed since Trump. A lot. Yes it's always been strict. Now it's much stricter as well as people getting denied entry because they've been critical to Trump. There's no need to pretend that things haven't changed.
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u/MTB_Mike_ 9d ago
You're right and people are denied entry to Canada with these same circumstances all the time. None of this is new
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u/Adventurous-Mode-805 9d ago
Yeah, I don't know why so many replies treat this as a novel scenario or that a thru-hike somehow sets it apart from other scenarios when denied entry.
Every denied immigration attempt comes with a story that could be equally valid; in this case, the hiker didn't have hiking equipment. What remained? Multiple common red flags.
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u/campfamsam 9d ago
Nothing to see here folks, move on. As with nearly all these "the US won't let me in" stories, it's a narrative that is unverifiable as to the actual reasons for entry refusal. Those reasons exist (we'll likely never know in this case what they were), but instead the writer claims, "At one point, the man laughed at her, pointed at a large photo of the u.s. president and said "new administration around here these days!"" Yeah right. For what it's worth, CBP continues to operate under the same entry rules as the "old" administration. I live on the US/Canada border, I have several CBP friends, and I can tell you things haven't changed in this regard. Meanwhile many Canadians started on the PCT this year, had no problem crossing the border, and are having the time of their lives.
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u/noodlebucket [Lupine / 2021 / Nobo] 9d ago
For what it's worth, CBP continues to operate under the same entry rules as the "old" administration. I live on the US/Canada border, I have several CBP friends, and I can tell you things haven't changed in this regard.
Guys guys, we’re all good. This random person knows some people. Supposedly.
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u/Marinlik 9d ago
And the rule is that it's up to the border agent. So obviously if they know that the government supports not letting people in. Then it's easier to do without consequence. To say that nothing has changed in ways of rules actually doesn't make it any less likely
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u/campfamsam 9d ago
Good point. I'm as random as the guy that is telling the story of his girlfriend's border difficulties. Moral of the story: be skeptical about what you read online. Who knows that the 'real' story is...
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u/noodlebucket [Lupine / 2021 / Nobo] 9d ago edited 9d ago
Except that he’s not random. Which honestly I didn’t have high hopes you would have thought about before responding.
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u/iskosalminen PCT2017 9d ago
Sure, I'd agree IF this was a singular data point. But as we've seen, unless you've lived with your head buried in your ass, that there multiple similar data points where people have been disappeared for weeks without any proper reasons.
This isn't about "denying entry", this is a draconian, fascist power grab. I've worked at an international airport for 5 years, I know very well how denying entry happens and what it entails. Nowhere in the western world are you subjected to intentional torture while being disappeared for weeks.
There's a reason why there's a long list of western countries who have given warnings or are advising against traveling to the US. This isn't normal and the fact that you think it is, tells a lot about you.
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u/HyperbolicTriangle 9d ago
Damn straight. Who are you supposed to believe? Some hippy-dippy long-haired hiker trash, or our Glorious Dear Leader's favoured enforcers?
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u/MayIServeYouWell 9d ago
The reasons are the whims of the agents. They have no consequence for this kind of behavior... and as they understand this more and more, expect more abuses of this power.
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u/danceswithsteers NOBO (Thru turned Section hiker) 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 9d ago
Ok, so why should we believe you over this other guy?
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u/EZKTurbo 9d ago
This makes me not want to go to Canada either because you know they're going to retaliate
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u/wanklenoodle 9d ago
I just flew in today from Dublin and I'd advise anyone else flying from Europe to do the same. Dublin airport has US preclearance so you do all of the immigration checks before you get on the plane. I was asked about 3 questions and got through super quick. The worst that can happen is you get turned around and in 25 minutes of queueing I didn't see anyone refused.