Day 162 : Frosty and Goldielocks

9th October 2013
Pateros to Beebie Bridge
Mileage : 33
This morning i was picked up again by Jan who took me back to where i had gotten dropped off the day before, but instead of heading north back down to Winthrop, i was finally heading south towards Chelan, Wenatchee, Snoqualamie Pass and the end of my PCT adventure. After two days of slackpacking, my knees could feel the extra weight when i pulled on my pack that morning, but thankfully it wasn't for long. Frosty and Goldielocks, whom i had seen finish a few days before at Manning Park, had decided they would help me with logistics for the last part of my hike, and were due to slack me the entire way to Snoqualamie Pass. It was just after midday when i saw their car pull up in front of me on the hard shoulder of the highway. They had come prepared with soft drinks, doughnuts, chocolate, and much more, but more importantly, the had come with wheels. Having a car meant that a) I could slackpack, b) that they would be able to pick me up at the end of each day and whisk me off to whatever campsite they had found, and c) whisk me back to the road the next morning. I know I would have managed without them, but it would have been much, much more difficult, so I am incredibly grateful to have had them drive all the way from Vancouver (Washington not Canada) and provide logistical support for me. Soon after meeting Frosty and Glocks, I bumped into a group of thru-hikers in fancy dress coming the other way on their way to the Canadian border at Osoyoos, having started from Steven's Pass. It would have been good fun hiking with them, but they were not going my way, and were only covering about 20 miles a day and I didn't want to drag the road walk out any longer than was absolutely necessary, so i wished them all luck and carried on south. That evening Frosty and Glocks picked me up just after I crossed over the Mighty Columbia River as the light was starting to fade. They had purloined a High Vis vest for me to wear as I walked, and i was glad to have it as I walked along the hard shoulder a metre or so away from the traffic wizzing towards me. I had a sneeking suspicion that I hadn't gone as far as I would have liked, but it was far enough for today. We headed into Chelan for some calories before turning in for the night at a local campsite having closed the the gap by about another 30 miles, and by this time tomorrow I would have less than 100 miles til the end of the PCT.