Similar to yesterday. Didn't go to Grumpies because the General Store was making all you can eat pancakes (plain, blueberry or m&m) with a serving of eggs and sausage. took another shower before some weather moved in. Rested and waited anxiously for the new adventure that would start tomorrow... The Sierras.
Day 42 - Kennedy Meadows, The Milestone. 702.2 (9.4)
Mileage Breakdown - 8.6 miles in the PCT + 0.8 mile road walk to Kennedy Meadows. I didn't set my alarm due to the fact that it was just under 10 miles to the Kennedy Meadows General Store. However I was the first one up getting ready to hit the trail (minus Early Bird and Riley... I would need to be up around 5:00 am to beat them out of camp).
Starting off I was really stiff, but around the 3 mile mark, I found my rhythm and my pace quicker to around 3mph. I found myself in KM before noon, a goal I had when leaving camp.
First thing I did after dropping my pack and sitting for a bit was, buy some ice cream in the general store. Then I took some time to setup my tent. The place I picked had a little wood table which I later found useful to reorganize gear.
As evening rolled around, everyone was really hungry and Ben, ST's college roommate, had a car to take the group to a bar and grill called Grumpies. I had my standard... A salad. Having had a double and a single cheeseburger for lunch when I arrived in KM, I figured a salad would be good for my system.
When I got back, I went straight for my tent because I had some organizing to do. Today I received my new backpack and had all of my gear piled in my tent.
When I finally got situated, it was dark but I wasn't tired. I had the motivation to read a little. Then it was promptly lights out.
Day 41 - 5th 20+ Mile Day. 693.6 (20.8)
Slept very well. When I woke, I could feel something cold and wet fall on my face... frost. This provided everyone with an excuse to take their time getting ready this morning. We waited for the sun to dry out our gear. Being on a ridge meant we had sun very early (no mountains to block it). The first 8 miles provided some incredible views. I took many little breaks as my back was really tired. My body felt very tired as a whole.
At the water source... Leah, Anna and ST were relaxing. Joined them for lunch. Took some time at the small stream to wash socks and soak my feet. I didn't bring my cell phone with me, so no pictures (the stream was a bit off trail).
Some miles on the trail seem to fly by. The next 12.8 did not. Not too hot, the climb was very gradual but long. My feet and ankles gave me hell. Unable to stretch out the aches and pains, I put my head down and charged up the mountain.
Ate some more food at the top before starting an equally long and gradual. The scenery really was pretty. My feet were killing me. And it all reminded me of Deep Creek (day ---).
Camped in the valley below. I think it is one of the best locations yet, in terms of scenery.
Having no wind today made everything better.
Day 40 - A Better Day. 672.8 (21.5)
Really took my time in the morning. My back was in pain and very stiff. Had a good talk with Sun Chaser and Alex. Sun Chaser is heading off trail for a short period to regroup. After stretching for a while, I started the long climb (10ish miles... 3000 feet). Listened to some JRE which helped keep my mind off my back.
About 6 miles into the climb, I stopped for lunch I found I had enough cell service to use my 20% off at REI. Two-Tone and Bottomless showed up and it sounded like they had a lot of fun with some of the trail angels in Tehachapi.
Just around the corner from my lunch spot, I found Alex talking on the phone. He informed me he was hopping off the trail for a little while. He "had to see about a girl" as well as sort of some gear for the upcoming section (Sierra Mtns).
The next 6 miles were gorgeous. I took a bunch of pictures, as well as added my music to my Spotify playlist (still had cell service).
The goal for the day was to make it to a water source at mile 670 and then setup camp at the next available spot. I looked and looked with no luck.
Ended up climbing the hill (2.8 miles and 1500'). At the top I found BT, ST, Leah and MC already setup and eating dinner. It was nice to have company at the end of the day. Today was the last long water carry (>15 miles) for a while.
Day 39 - Walker Pass. 651.3 (20.4)
The wind picked back up last night around 2:00 am. It made it challenging to get good sleep. I had set my alarm for 5:30 and was awake by 6. Alex, ST and I chilled in our sleeping bags until the sun rose over the hills.
The only real climb of the day was at the start. 2000' in just under 3 miles. It was perfect as the temperature was on the chilly side. At the top, I had a little cell reception. Enough to make a phone call home. It was nice talking to my mom after the brutal day I had yesterday.
All day the wind was pretty constant, in terms of it always gusting or shifting directions. This makes hiking very tiring, especially with a large pack on which will catch the wind and twist you.
Ate lunch with Shaggy and Lefty. Shaggy is flying back home (Australia) for a wedding (not his). After a quick nature break, I was back on the trail focused on making it to camp before 6pm. This allowed me to have some sun to enjoy.
I hiked the last 2 miles with Back Track (BT) which really helped pass the time. The wind was still doing its thing which didn't make setting up my tent very pleasant.
Everyone was in their tents ready to sleep by 7:30. I was no exception.
We made it through the 41 mile water carry. There were 3 well stocked water caches along the way, but we didn't know about them, so we still carried 8 liters of water. This really took a toll on everyone's bodies.
