I am happy to report that Brett finally telephoned tonight! Via Satellite Phone from the hamlet of Stehekin on Lake Chelan, WA.

It turns out Stehekin is accessible only by air or ferry. The standard ferry takes 4 hours from Chelan. The lake is a 40 mile long snake!

The group of four hikers quickly bought resupplies this morning and hitched back up to Rainy Pass. They hiked 18 miles in about 5 hours, starting at elevation 4800, and descending the entire distance to 1600 feet. They had to hustle so they could catch a shuttle bus that runs between the trail head and Stehekin.

Last evening, as soon as they hit the highway 20, they got a ride into Winthrop. The driver asked where they were staying, and when they told him they were just going to camp, he invited them to his B&B home, where they got to stay free!

I asked Brett why he didn't telephone. He asked the host about it but I guess that was not part of the hospitality. He says his cell phone only worked a few minutes during the ride. He DID phone his wife. Her cell was off, so he left a message on the house machine. (House ringer was turned down so she could sleep, and she missed the message this AM) He did finally get to talk to her this evening.

During our conversation, I stressed how much we wanted to see more Spot signals. He didn't realize how much of a following there is. (Right after the call, I got a signal). Each one of them had been pressing the send button, then shutting the unit down and putting it away as soon as it reported a sent message. I explained that it sends, but if no satellite happens to be in view at the moment, no message gets sent. I assured him also that I'd be sending additional batteries to his next resupply point (he gets there in 7 days)

Brett was very happy to hear that their stuff was being mailed to Oak Harbor. It can be delivered somewhere down the trail at another resupply point. They left Mazama thinking the Texaco people were going to dump it (I asked them to send it C.O.D.)

As for the previous section of the trail, from Manning Park to Rainy Pass, Brett said they found literally miles and miles of snow-covered bowls. They spent lots of time lost -- he had a GPS with one-mile way points (quarter-mile or more would have been best), but they'd lose the trail in 100 yards! He got the trail name of "Alti", short for Altimeter, since he used the GPS' altimeter readings to help find the trail numerous times. Apparently finding the trail's elevation on the map, then climbing or descending so the GPS matched the elevation worked well. He felt it was fortuitous for Dan to exit where he did -- later sections were bad. He says he had to self-arrest with the ice axe at one point.

They were joined for a time by a guy with a machete and tattoos, with big combat boots. Those boots helped on steep slopes to make tracks for the others wearing sneakers. And the machete works as an ice axe when necessary. Go figure. He left the trail at Harts Pass, same place Dan exited yesterday.

And they caught up with another woman Emma. Emma had bailed from Harts Pass a few days before, then got a guy on a motorcycle to drive her back up so she could continue from that point.

So now it is Brett (Alti), Darren, Adrienne and Emma (aka Spyder). They all plan on resting part of tomorrow (Thursday 7/1). Brett's knee is sore from packing 30 lbs over that 18 miles today.