Day 0: Saturday, August 16th

Flew into Seattle; got fuel; stove and fuel bottles arrived ok. Aaron delayed in Pittsburgh due to bad storm and mechanical problems. Limited hours of sleep (Aaron arrived Sunday, 2AM). Everything ready to go. Wrong side of airplane to see Rainier -- it was on the left (South side). View of Rainier will have to wait!

Aaron's commentary: My flights in both directions were at pretty awful times and neither was direct; the weather and mechanical problems only made it worse. Didn't get to sleep till after 3 and had to get up early the next morning - not a good start but we did both make it in.

Doug's Commentary: We were lucky that we could handle the unexpected and didn't save too much for the day of arrival. Stove fuel was purchased at a local supermarket and the stove and fuel bottles arrived ok at the hotel, via U.S. mail (rules say that one cannot carry stoves nor fuel bottles onboard airplanes). The box in which the stove and bottles arrived was saved for a return mailing and at the end of the trip excess fuel had either been given to rangers or campers; car campers in our case.