Kennedy Meadows Campground to Campsite at Mile 719.08
I finished blogging last night just after 10:00 PM and had trouble falling asleep. I felt like I was tossing and turning till after midnight when I finally fell asleep. Maybe it was because it was so hot last night, but I think it was because I only hiked 7 miles yesterday and my body just wasn't tired.
Somehow I was still able to wake up at 6:00 AM without an alarm clock. Unfortunately I had to wake Tim since the zipper on my side of the tent is broken. I got out of the tent and walked to the outhouse...woohoo...no cat hole digging this morning.
For breakfast, everyone gathered around the picnic table which was a really nice way to start the day. At 8:12 AM everyone was ready to hike, including Tim and Mary who decided to hike the 2 miles to a wooden bridge over the South Fork of the Kern River.
Somehow I was still able to wake up at 6:00 AM without an alarm clock. Unfortunately I had to wake Tim since the zipper on my side of the tent is broken. I got out of the tent and walked to the outhouse...woohoo...no cat hole digging this morning.
For breakfast, everyone gathered around the picnic table which was a really nice way to start the day. At 8:12 AM everyone was ready to hike, including Tim and Mary who decided to hike the 2 miles to a wooden bridge over the South Fork of the Kern River.
Everyone is ready to hike.
Oh, you might notice that Max and Bear Bait isn't here today. They needed some more time in Kennedy Meadows and are hoping to hike out later in the afternoon. Hopefully they will catch up to us in the next few days.
The 2 mile hike that Tim and Mary chose to do wasn't too easy. There were some pretty good ups and downs, but they were troopers:
The 2 mile hike that Tim and Mary chose to do wasn't too easy. There were some pretty good ups and downs, but they were troopers:
Tim and Mary hiking the PCT
Exactly 1 hour after leaving Kennedy Meadows Campground we were at the wooden bridge which was pretty nice. I used the camera timer to take this picture. Notice gawking Brad in the background.
Mighty Mouse on the bridge with Brad looking in
It was nice to have Tim there to take a couple of pictures with.
Tim and I on the bridge.
The view from the bridge was really nice:
Bridge view.
Another picture of Tim and I on the bridge.
We said our goodbyes to Tim and Mary and headed up the trail. We will see them in 3 days at Horseshoe Meadow where they will resupply us. We hiked another few miles and stopped in a nice, shady campsite to take out shoes off and rest our feet.
Share Bear and I relaxing.
When we got there Bagel was there. Brad and I met him back on the top of Fuller Ridge over 500 miles ago.
Bagel taking a break.
After leaving the campsite we entered a burn area, but with the mountains in the background it was so beautiful.
Brad in the burn section.
The trees might have been burned, but the pink wildflowers were alive and well.
Share Bear hiking among the wild flowers.
Today's hike was spectacular. We hadn't seen scenery like this yet on the PCT.
Audible hiking ahead.
The trail today was predominantly up climbing over 3,000 cumulative feet, but we barely noticed with the amazing scenery we got to look at all day.
There were a couple of cool PCT signs that were different from the normal ones:
There were a couple of cool PCT signs that were different from the normal ones:
PCT sign of the day #1
PCT sign of the day #2
We stopped for lunch, but didn't stop for as long as we usually do because there is a river coming up in about 3 miles and we want to spend some time there. At 4:15 we were getting close to the river and bridge.
Keep going this way to the river.
Finally, around 4:30 PM we arrived at the river and bridge.
Bridge over water.
We all collected water to filter and Audible and I got in and sat on the river bottom and enjoyed some time washing out clothes and soaking in the water. The water temperature was pleasant and the sun was warm, so everything was perfect. We didn't want to, but left almost 2 hours later. It was now almost 6:30 and we still had over 2.62 miles to our planned campsite for tonight.
Share Bear crossing the bridge
Brad and Mighty Mouse back together
The scenery was just amazing for the last few miles of the day. This meadow and the mountains in the background are so incredible.
Incredible scene
We finally arrived at the campsite around 7:30 PM. At this time other hikers were coming back down the trail. There was supposed to be a water source just 0.1 mile up the trail, but it was dry, so they were hiking down steam looking for water. We all determined that if there was no water here then the next water source is over 10 miles away. Most of us only had 2 liters and we needed most of that for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. Hum...what to do.
We decided to pitch our tents and start dinner and figure out the water situation later. Then, one of the hikers reappeared and told us that they found water only 5 minutes away. She told us how to find it and we thanked her for coming back down trail to let us know so we didn't have to worry. It is great how most of the hikers out here are willing to go out of their way to help out fellow hikers.
Since we got to the campsite late was were finishing dinner late and getting into the tents after dark. It is now almost 10:30 PM as I am finishing up today's blog....pretty late.
Oh...I forgot to mention that Dallas has joined us for the night. We met him earlier at the river. He is a pretty nice guy from...you guessed it...Dallas.
Tomorrow we plan on waking up at 6:00 AM. I should be able to get a good nights sleep tonight since we had a rough uphill hike today and also it is colder than last night. We are up at 8,238 feet tonight. Last night we were at 6,146...more than 2,000 feet lower.
We decided to pitch our tents and start dinner and figure out the water situation later. Then, one of the hikers reappeared and told us that they found water only 5 minutes away. She told us how to find it and we thanked her for coming back down trail to let us know so we didn't have to worry. It is great how most of the hikers out here are willing to go out of their way to help out fellow hikers.
Since we got to the campsite late was were finishing dinner late and getting into the tents after dark. It is now almost 10:30 PM as I am finishing up today's blog....pretty late.
Oh...I forgot to mention that Dallas has joined us for the night. We met him earlier at the river. He is a pretty nice guy from...you guessed it...Dallas.
Tomorrow we plan on waking up at 6:00 AM. I should be able to get a good nights sleep tonight since we had a rough uphill hike today and also it is colder than last night. We are up at 8,238 feet tonight. Last night we were at 6,146...more than 2,000 feet lower.
Our homes for the night.
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