I've never wandered across the border, but have wondered.. Is there an established protocol for legally doing so in the backcountry?
Legally no.
Practically wandering over the border between monuments 103 and 104 over to the Canuck high point is very unlikely to get you in trouble with the US CBP when you wander back into the US side.
If for some reason they decided to make an example of you though the penalties would be stiff -- thousands of dollars -- assuming you didn't have any federally illegal substances in your possession == much worse if you did.
When we were there in 2011 -- we observed the CBP on horseback riding the boundary trail while we were wandering in the tundra/meadows of Armstrong and Arnold peaks. They didn't bother to depart the trail and give us a closer inspection. Maybe we were lucky or just didn't match the profile of weed packers or terrorists.
We didn't venture farther north than the Canuck high point which is less than 200 yards north of the border.
To summarize, after reading the documents linked above:
You can legally hike into BC from the US, but only on the PCT and only if you obtain a Canada PCT Entry Permit prior to your trip. Once you cross the border you cannot legally return to the US except through a Port of Entry.
When we were there in 2011 -- we observed the CBP on horseback riding the boundary trail while we were wandering in the tundra/meadows of Armstrong and Arnold peaks. They didn't bother to depart the trail and give us a closer inspection. Maybe we were lucky or just didn't match the profile of weed packers or terrorists.
I didn't see any BP when I was at Horseshoe or the surroundings, but I've ran into them on the trail at Ross Lake. Real quick howdy like with any other hikers on the trail, and we went our separate ways. I imagine that's what most hiker encounters are like with them.
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