October 11

Distance: 14.3 miles | Ascent: 1170′ | Descent: 2990′

Mile marker: 1952.4

Lunch: J – triple crown burger (A+), A – supreme pizza (A+)

Dinner: J – supreme pizza and salad (A+), A – burger (A+)

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We’re learning! We didn’t camp right next to the little river last night, even though the meadow was so enticing. Instead, we camped a tenth of a mile uphill. We woke up without frost and hardly any condensation on our tent. We learned from others who did camp by the river that their tent was completely frost covered in the morning.

The hike out was incredibly easy. We had super light packs and the trail was as gentle as you can get. We saw our first cactus! This is our sign that we’re officially in the desert.

We went through some scrub, some trees, an itsy bitsy old burn zone, through some small valley, and along the Kern River. It was a pleasant morning stroll.

As the trail flattened out even more, we crossed a few day hikers and the Kennedy Meadows campground. We rode into Grumpy Bears Retreat for lunch and went a bit nuts with it. The food was revitalizing and needed after the long carry through the High Sierras. We met up with several other southbound hikers at the restaurant. Some we met way back in Washington and have been seeing on regular occasions, some we just met a few days ago. But, we all share this crazy adventure together and instantly fraternize. Another person at the camp, here for just the weekend, was astounded by our journey and was really quite touched and inspired by us. He appreciated the simplicity of it but didn’t underestimate the challenge. He asked if anyone could do it. Our answer was that you have to be a little crazy, but not necessarily a superstar athlete. We’ve seen people of all different shapes, sizes, and ages on trail. Some are doing chunks of the trail over time. Some out for a few nights. HYOH.

We chatted with our fellow hikers through the rest of the day and into the night. It’s a nice little community. At this point, we all have generally the same pace, and we’ll surely see most of them again either in towns or out on trail. Although, you can be 10 minutes behind someone and never even know they were there! We got contact info to keep in touch as we go through the desert where water will be a bit more scarce. Sharing up-to-date info on water sources will be our way of keeping each other safe.

We got another hefty dinner and finished most of our internet chores. This isn’t a town by any stretch of the imagination. We’ll be back on trail tomorrow to start chipping away at the last section.