[pct-l] various tidbits & new cheaper Priority Mail

[kdpo at gottawalk.com (Ken Powers)]

Does anyone know if we can ship "ground priority"? We put fuel canisters in
our boxes so they must go ground. The $7.70 is less than half-price for
shipping from California to the East Coast.

Ken
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Ellinwood" <rellinwood@worldnet.att.net>
To: "yogi yogi" <yogilists@hotmail.com>; <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 1:47 PM
Subject: [pct-l] various tidbits & new cheaper Priority Mail


Yogi,

I may not have the right email address for you.  I've tried to share a
couple items with you.  Most (all) of them you probably already know.

I just talked to the Summit Lodge (formerly Best Western) at Snoqualmie and
they confirmed the demise of the Time Wise Grocery, but said that the local
mail service was now being picked up by the Chevron Station there.  However,
she recommended continuing what you have in your book, that is, that hiker
packages should go to the Summit Lodge. She said either Fed Ex or UPS would
be fine. The address is the same as before.

I also talked to the Chevron station and (although the strong accent made it
a little tough for me to understand) learned that they will also hold
General Delivery boxes there.  I guess that would appeal to hikers who would
not want to feel obligated to stay at Summit Lodge after their box was held
there for them.  Since you indicated that laundry soap might not be
available at the lodge, I asked and they do sell it at the Chevron.  Also,
the hiker register is now at the Chevron, he said.

White Pass:   I just talked to the manager at the Kracker Barrel at White
Pass, in that I (and others) had heard rumors that they might not be open
next year.  I was assured that they would be open to accept packages and
that they would have both yellow HEET and denatured alcohol in stock.

Skykomish:  I just talked to Mrs. Dinsmore (Dinsmore's River Haven) in
Skykomish and she said that the Sky Chalet Restaurant is closed for
remodeling and she doubts that they will be open next summer.  I had tried
to call the Sky Chalet and found their number disconnected.   She also said
that the Cascadia Inn in Skykomish indeed does now have a restaurant.

Finally, a postmaster on the trail just confirmed what someone else had
mentioned a little while ago about the new ("last few weeks") FLAT RATE
PRIORITY USPS BOXES, at $7.70.  I hadn't fully grasped the idea on PCT-L.
It seems if you buy them, no matter the distance or weight, it only costs
$7.70.  If mailing a long distance (east coast to PCT), you start saving,
over regular priority mail, at 2 lbs.  If you are mailing within the "same
district," i.e., reasonably close, then it will be at the 9 lb level that
you begin saving over          regularprioritymail.Herconcernwasalltheboxes
she had seen costing $20 or more $$.  She gave an example of a box from the
east that if shipped to the PCT at 9 lbs (many of ours weigh more than that)
would cost $7.70 with a "flat-rate priority box," but would cost $17.50 with
regular priority mail.   Darned good info that she wanted passed on to other
hikers.

Bob







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