Day 45 (June 23rd)
Mile 653.3- mile 666.3
13 miles (20.9km)
We spent most of the day today in town, only hitting the trail around 2:30pm. We had intended to start a bit earlier, but trail angel Larry offered us a ride out when he finished work and we couldn’t turn him down! Instead we spent the morning sleeping in, resupplying at Walmart, planning our travel after we arrive at Kennedg Meadows and enjoying Starbucks and Chipotle. We have decided that we will be skipping the Sierras for now and flipping down to the start of the Northern California section. To do this, we need to arrange a trail angel (or two) to drive us back to Tehachapi from Kennedy Meadows and then we will rent a car and road trip our way North. Lots of logistics!
Once we were back on trail today we had a big climb out of Walker Pass. I was feeling really good today and, for once, the uphill barely phased me. The trail was beautiful today. Distant mountains and hills faded into the golden hue of the sky. The trail itself was reminiscent of D&D with the rocky trail almost seeming to be carved out of the cliffside. One of the comments on FarOut aptly describes it as “a trail crafted by skilled dwarves in days of yore”.
From there we headed back down an ankle-twisting, scree covered trail to our campsite. On our way we ran into our friend B and another hiker we hadn’t met before. I’m cognizant that once we flip up North, some of these chance meetings with our friends will become more rare– people are flipping to dozens of different locations and some brave folks are even pushing through the snow. The great PCT conga line is shuffling again. I’m excited to be done with the desert but I also know that I will miss it a lot. Flipping almost feels like starting the trail afresh– what clothes will I need in NorCal? What are the vegan resupply options like? Is there snow? How much? I only planned my mailed vegan meals until Kennedy Meadows– how will I survive without them? Lots of nerves and excitement. We are getting close now.
Day 46 (June 24th)
Mile 666.3-688.4
22.1 miles (35.6 km)
Our second last day of hiking in Southern California. In the words of Corpse, “you can feel the Sierras coming”. Today we climbed about 6000ft. As we climbed, the Joshua trees faded to California juniper which then gave way to pines. In the distance we saw snowy peaks growing ever closer. I am definitely sad to not be heading into those snowy peaks– but also relieved and excited to explore NorCal.
When we finally got to camp after a long day of ups and downs, we were all quiet and pensive for a little while… But as we settled down to eat we started chatting and laughing about our day. Joking about the shitty Knorr meals that Corpse had to eat, or about where to go poop on this barren cliffside campsite, or about the strange man we encountered today and if he was a murderer. Major belly laughs were had on several topics and, before long, my abs hurt from laughing. A great end to a hard and beautiful day.
Tomorrow we have an easy hike into Kennedy Meadows and the end of the Southern California section of the PCT. When I started this trail, I thought I would be happy if I just made it to Big Bear Lake back at mile 266. Kennedy Meadows (at mile 703) was just a distant possibility and beyond Kennedy Meadows was nearly unimaginable. I planned my resupplies and miles for the Southern California section, but no farther. After tomorrow, everything will be brand new and beyond my wildest dreams. I still can’t believe I’m really out here!
Day 47 (June 25th)
Mile 688.4 – mile 703.4
15.1 mile (24.3 km)
We’re here! We’ve hiked over 700 miles and arrived at the end of the Southern California section. We have officially completed 25% of the Pacific Crest Trail.
This morning we hiked an easy 15 miles and arrived at the road to Kennedy Meadows around noon. About 100 meters before the road and the end of the desert we encountered a gigantic rattlesnake. His body was as thick as my arm! I haven’t seen a rattle snake in several hundred miles, so this was a great last farewell to the desert.
Even though we had been hiking seperately, Salty, Corpse, Thunder and I all arrived at the road at the same time. We took photos with the Kennedy Meadows sign before hiking into town where we were greeted by cheers and clapping from other hikers relaxing at the general store.
Today has been a grand reunion with many wonderful friends that we have encountered over the past 47 days. Our friend Chris (or Ren as I call him) who got off trail with a sore ankle a week or so ago, magically appeared working behind the bar in Kennedy Meadows (he is trading work for food and drink while he nurses his injury). Cliff and Lost Keys, who I haven’t seen since day 4 or 5… ‘B’ who I’ve been hiking around for a couple of weeks and have really enjoyed getting to know… Ted Talks who I met outside Big Bear and have barely seen since… And now we are all going seperate ways. Some folks are heading into the Sierras, others are flipping to the Canadian border, others are flipping up to various places in Northern California. Today is our last big hurrah to spend time with one another. So we chat and eat and chat some more. Charm Pony pulls out nail polish and we all paint our nails. I exchange contact information with anyone with whom I have not already done so. We stay at Grumpys restaurant which offers free showers and camping to hikers and we feast on their delicious food all day.
Tomorrow we flip and a new stage of the journey begins…
Day 48 and 49 (June 26th and 27th)
0 hiking miles, but lots of car miles!
Total PCT miles: 703.4
We made it to North California! We caught two rides with two trail angels to get us back to Tehachapi, where we rented a car and continued our long drive up to Truckee, CA.
We left Kennedy Meadows at about 6am and arrived in Truckee around 8:30pm– it was a long day. On the way we stopped at an REI in Fresno to buy new shoes! When we arrived in Truckee, Thunder’s partner, Chin and her pup Cash were waiting for us. Seeing them reunited made me miss my own boy and my sweet pup even more. Today we took a zero in Truckee to give us time to get our groceries, go to the gear store and to eat a whole bunch of food. It was a busy day filled with the typical town chores– emptying garbage, groceries, washing pots, doing laundry…
I didn’t take many photos this zero, but I did take a few to document the wear on my gear after more than 700miles. My trekking poles have lost several inches of height, my old shoes were peppered with holes and the tread was nearly completely worn away, my bra strap snapped from the rubbing of the backpack, and my shirt has become very sheer on the shoulders and back where the backpack rubs.
But my body and feet are actually feeling pretty good! Hopefully breaking in these new shoes doesn’t do my feet in!
Tonight we all went out for a nice dinner and then came home to watch The Ring– and then some trash reality tv to detox from the horror. Tomorrow we take our first steps in trail in NorCal!
