Day 39 to 43: The Last of the Desert

June 13-17
Day 39 to 43
Mile 643.8 to 702
Below Skinner Mountain to Kennedy Meadows
Day 39-Water
Today we slept in a little bit later than we wanted. Normally that is fine but we needed to get up early and hike while it was cool because we were getting low on water. We were unsure if the cache 6 miles ahead would have water. If it did not then we would have about 20 miles until the next water. We hiked through the morning with a deep sense of hope & and foreboding in our minds. The cache had been filled just a little before we arrived by Mary. We were so grateful. Kindergarten Cop was there earlier in the morning before the cache was filled and was able to gather some water together. He left a liter for us but we really are hoping he got enough water. He is such an awesome guy and we couldn't believe he saved water for us when there was so little.




We passed 1000 km today!




After a few hours of hiking from the cache we decided to take a nice long lunch. Burritos! I think that is my favorite trail meal.
Hiked on a few hours to get water at McIvers Spring.




There was water dripping out of a pipe at a rate of about 1 Liter per 5 minutes. There was also a strong smell of feces and toilet paper everywhere. Needless to say we did not get any water. Luckily we had enough to get us the seven miles to Walker Pass. On the way to our campsite walking from the terrible water source my foot got caught on a branch. Needless to say I fell on the ground flat on my face hitting my knee on a rock. After cursing the said branch I made sure my knee was okay and laughed off the whole series of events. Great day!
Day 40-Hiker Magic Vortex
Today was fun! We woke up expecting to hike 7 miles to Walker Pass and then do an additional 15 miles or so... Boy were we wrong. We packed up camp which in bear country means we have to un-bury our food. The seven miles from camp were very quick. When we got to Walker Pass Campground all we needed was water from the cistern before we moved on. Walking down to the cistern we were greeted by Okie Girl at a camp spot. She has been doing trail magic there for two weeks!




We chatted with her and had some soda an bagels with cream cheese. We accidentally ended up staying there all day. We got some reading done and ate chips, sandwiches, cheese dip, soda, bagels, cookies, and muffins. It was a great day and we met up with some old and new friends. Kindergarten Cop, Mark, Kyros, Shaggs, Storytime, Birdie, Freestyle, Charlie, Hannah, Robo-knee, Sea Hag, and Karen were all at the camp at some point during the day.




Okie Girl also made us a delicious dinner of spaghetti and I got to help make the salad. While we were eating a guy pulled up and informed us some cops were on bikes on the trail looking for a body. Everyone was kinda freaked out and later we saw a police helicopter flying around. We would find out later that the police were looking for a backpack that had been torn apart by a bear. It's funny how stories snowball on the trail.
Day 41- Big Miles
From our stopping place at walker pass the distance to Kennedy Meadows is about 51 miles. We decided we would try to get up at 2 am to try and do a fast 30 mile day in order to get to Kennedy Meadows faster. Well we didn't get up at 2. Or 3 or 4. We ended up waking around 5 and hiking shortly before 6 am. We got in some good miles while it was still cool.




At our water source near mile 668 we met up with Mark, Voodoo, and Twinkletoes again. We hiked on through the day and got to one of our last water sources before Kennedy Meadows (Mile ~680). There was a cache of beer and soda sitting in the water. It was pretty funny. We made up camp a way from the water and ended our first 30 mile day.








Day 42- The End of the Desert
Today was the last day of southern California. We woke up knowing we had 21 miles to hike to the Kennedy Meadows grocery store that closed by 5 pm. We did the miles pretty quick. There was a burnt section of forest in the area.




We are really sick of burn sections and they feel like they take forever to hike through. We got to our first real river!




We got some water then each got in the water and cleaned off. It had been a very dirty week. We hit the 700 mile mark right before Kennedy Meadows.




While hiking along through some cattle gate we got rattled at by a big rattle snake. It was the biggest one we have seen which is ironic since it was only a mile to Kennedy meadows and the start of the Sierra. We got in to town and said hello to some people and then got our boxes from the store and some food. We chatted with some new people (freestyle, Hanna, Charlie, mark, Tripod). They got on trail and we got camp set up. Went to bed nice and early after a long day.




Day 43-Kennedy Meadows
It is funny how sleeping till 7:00 am on the trail is sleeping in. We got up and went and ate a delicious Sunday breakfast at the Kennedy Meadows general store with kindergarten Cop. There was pancakes,eggs, sausage, bacon, orange juice, and more than enough coffee. We sat around and chatted with fellow hikers and drank coffee for much of the morning.




We caught up with our good friend Tusc ( short for Tuscan Raider) and his friend James. Our friends Gumbi, Bacon Bit, and Kindergarten Cop were leaving so as is custom bacon bit and gumbi had to have pictures of them doing handstands. Jenna got in on this and the three of them did handstands in front of the Kennedy Meadows general store.




Jenna was very happy to see other gymnasts on the trail. Originally we planned to hike out this day and not take a zero. Early in the day we changed our minds opting for a zero. It was much needed and was nice to celebrate the end of southern California. We got our bear boxes ready to go for the next day. In the Sierras it is mandatory to have a bear canister or to use bear boxes. Since bear boxes are often spaced 20-45 miles apart almost everyone is forced to carry a heavy bear canister. We both got new socks and I got new shoes, they were badly needed.




We relaxed the rest of the day grabbing snacks, food, and hamburgers as needed. At dusk, Tom plays a movie outside on a projector. His house is near the store and many people relax and sleep here as well as the store. The movie was Irobot so we sat in the mountains that night eating popcorn and watching a movie. Southern California Ends and the mighty Sierras begin.
-Nate (Jungle Cookie)