Day 145, ~140 remaining

Saturday, September 14, 2013
Leg 26: Stevens Pass to Rainey Pass, Washington

Tomorrow our hikers reach Rainey Pass, where the entire Flanagan family (less Becca*) will meet them, whisk them away for a zero in Winthrop, and return them to the trail Tuesday morning.  And we mean all the Flanagans: Gil & Karen, Aunt Ginny (from England), Aunt Nano, Party & Emily with Hugo & baby Bode.

"But they're so close, why so now?" you ask.  The hikers are taking a zero at this point to push their finish date to Friday, September 20, allowing friends and family to meet them in Manning Provincial Park.  A couple days in British Columbia gently re-entering society before returning to Seattle and real life.

* Becca departs l later today for two weeks in France with close family friends.  An adventure more her speed, she will walk through her ancestral church (g-g-g...grandfather was baptized in 1644), visit the WWII memorials in Normandy, and explore small towns in the French countryside.  With Becca away, photos of the big finish are delayed until early October. 

Good luck and God's speed to our hikers.  Thank you for reading along this summer.  And thus we bid adieu.

Day 141, less than 200 miles remaining

Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Layover between Legs 25 &26: Stevens Pass, (Highway 2), Washington

All is well on trail.  Our hikers are a mere TEN DAYS from ending the journey!  Leg 26 to Rainey Pass is 123.5 miles and leg 27 is about 67 miles into Manning Park.

Today the Mathes parents delivered the food cache to Stevens Pass, along with dinner for the boys, and chocolate chip cookies for Flanagan.  (Mathes doesn't like cookies; to much like cake.)  They are sleeping on a gravel patch at an RV park just off Highway 2.

The call tonight is the last conversation for Becca and Flanagan until well after Andrew finishes the hike.  This Saturday Becca departs for two weeks in France with girlfriend and family.  Quite suiting for this couple that one grand adventure overlaps another!

Day 138, mile ...

Saturday, September 7, 2014

Camping at Snoqualmie Pass with B9 boys.

Day 133, mile 2303

Monday, September 2, 2013
Leg... I lost count

Layover at White Pass on Highway 12

Becca meet Red at White Pass ski area.  Quick snack before heading into Packwood (Diva caught a ride down earlier in the day) for showers, laundry (fingers crossed), and a hot meal not out of a netbook jet boil.

Cache drops are necessary for supplying the next leg's food.  But cache drops are even better for the delicious food brought to the drop.  Today Red gets homemade chocolate chip cookies from his mom and the boys are sharing fresh zucchini bread also from Mama Flanagan.   Becca provided (via Safeway) Greek yogurt, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, tortilla chips, hummus, Ninkasi beers, orange juice, and bananas.  Yum!

Before dealing with packs, Becca and our hikers shared a few beers and onion rings at Blue Spruce Tavern with Seminole and Dinnertime (& his girl Rebecca).

Change of plans . . . 

Boys were convinced to take a near-o in Packwood.  They're splitting a hotel room with 

Seminole and getting a ride back to the trail  from Dinnertime in the morning.  Here's to   showers and laundry, made better by their being separate events.