Written Thursday, 3 June 2021

Had a great, relaxing couple of days here getting a full resupply and adding two key pieces of equipment to my kit: a bear can (required in many parts of the Sierra Nevada mountain range to protect food from bears...and bears from food) and microspkes for my feet, just in case we have to cross snow in the mountains.

Both items together add more than 2 pounds to my pack weight, plus I will carry nearly a week's worth of food out of here tomorrow. I hope my poor, old ZPacks backpack, which is not designed for these loads, will hold up until I get to Bishop.

The first two nights in Kennedy Meadows, I stayed up by Grumpy Bear's, mainly for the easy access to all the beer...I mean food... but tonight I have moved down to the General Store again so it will be an easier walk back to the Trail in the morning, carrying my groaning, overloaded backpack.

Legend is still here and still making free food for hikers (in this case, a big spaghetti dinner), so I eat with a big group of hungry hikers, most of whom will be hiking out tomorrow. My table companions are Motorcycle Mama, Knee Deep, and Bang, three hikers who are close to my age and hiking the PCT together. I have been playing leap frog with them since Day 2 in Mt. Laguna, but this is the first time I have had an extended conversation with any of them. Crazy.

Some thoughts on the Desert:

I was completely wrong in my expectations about this section of the Trail. I thought this would be an area I simply had to endure , in order to reach the "more interesting" parts of the Trail. I could not have been more wrong.

The desert section of the PCT--more than 1/4 of the total Trail is a fascinating, beautiful, diverse section, full of gorgeous views, interesting wildlife, and challenging (rewarding) hiking. The water carries are long and heavy, and the logistics are daunting, but trail hiking is about problem solving, and the desert gives you ample opportunity to solve problems.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Sierra, but the desert is unforgettable.

I'm safe, dry, and warm next to the General Store tonight.

Tomorrow: the Sierra.

Miles Hiked This Post: Nada Total Miles Hiked: 702.4

Sea Otter Fact of the Post: Sea otters are strong enough to flip over boulders on the ocean floor (in search of food, of course).