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The Ketchikan stopover allowed for three things.
First, I repaired the my hat. Used some fabric tape to glue up a couple of worn spots and used a fabric marker to breath new life into the Chief:
Second, and very critical, I mailed unnecessary items to Fairbanks. My pack has been abnormally full and heavy these past 3 months — 15.5 pounds:
After the visit to the post office I’m down to about 10 pounds and a significant decrease in volume.
Third, thanks to Amy who played shipping recipient for me, I have a new pair of shoes, a new ATM card, and a new set of earphones. All set for stage two of the road trip.