Day 51: Kennedy Meadows Nearo to mile 709.5
6.5.18. 7.3 miles.
Thankfully the loud group last night decided not to play another round of cards and went to sleep shortly after I attempted to fall asleep. I woke up around 7, got dressed, and got my electronics together to score a power outlet before everyone else. The morning was pretty calm around the store as everyone was just waking up. We wanted the first shuttle to Grumpy Bears at 7:45 so we waited for Bob to come and pick us up. We were the first in line at grumpys and placed our orders right at 8 and then got on the WiFi to do our last-minute things. After our WiFi time was up, we walked over to TCO - I wanted another pair of socks bc I really don’t want wet feet in the Sierra and my socks take a while to dry. Now I have 3 hiking socks and 1 “sacred” sleep sock.
After TCO we were able to score a ride from a man who hiked part of the PCT in 2016 - he lives in Europe (Norway?) and came out here ON VACATION and is voluntarily staying in Ridgecrest and rented a car and is being a trail angel. I can’t even! He was so kind and I still can’t get over that this is what he’s doing with his vacation time. He flew from Europe just to give back!
Once we got back to the store I socialized a bit, and then I had to get down to business and pack all my stuff up and make sure it all fit in my pack. It took a few tries & some help from Butters, but I was able to make everything fit! In KM I ditched my CNOC water bladder since I didn’t trust it to hold water wo leaking, and a 1.5 evernew bag bc I just don’t need that much water capacity now that I’m in the Sierra! I can still carry up to 4.2 L though.
After my bag was packed we literally just chilled. I got another hamburger and sprite, and we just sat on the porch cheering as hikers walked in, talked, tried to get stuff done with the slow WiFi and charged our things. At 5 pm, we finally headed out since it was starting to cool down.
The hike out was really nice! A little sandy at times, but it felt so good to be making forward progress on the trail again and getting into the mountains! KM was the first town I was feeling a little antsy in. Most towns I feel like I could stay forever, but I was itching to get back on trail here. I am also feeling slightly anxious just because of the unknown of the Sierra! You can look at photos and videos of people ahead of you, but you don’t know how it’s going to be until you experience it yourself! I’m also a little anxious about the altitude, but hoping as long as I stay hydrated and eat well, I’ll be fine.
