Pacific Crest Trail : Kennedy Meadows to Mount Whitney

Miles this section : 64
Miles completed : 766

A 'meadow'.

I spend a busy zero day at Kennedy Meadows - there's a box for me here, with much food and new, warm boots - though the ten pound hiking shoes I've worn thus far are in good shape, I decide to keep them as creek shoes, to wear when wading.  I buy a 'bear can', one kilo and eighty dollars worth of plastic container, it will apparently stop a bear eating my food.  I have at least two days more food than will fit in the thing, but the zone in which you have to carry it actually starts around fifty miles north of here, so hopefully it'll be OK.  I also prevaricate about buying an ice axe... supposedly useful for stopping when sliding down an icy slope, honestly it looks more likely to me that I'd stab myself with it instead.  But I attend an impromptu training session, doesn't look too hard, so off to the outfitters opposite the bar - and of course they're sold out.  The guy there assures me I won't die without one so scratch that idea, can't say I'm too upset not to have spent another bunch of dollars.  But anyway... off into the hills, this is where the trail gets, ah, exciting so there will be daily entries for a while, oh yes.

Walking on snow was fun.  At first...

Day 1
I'm carrying eleven days of food, plus more warm clothing, micro spikes (sort of mini crampons), and the bear can of course.  My pack is very heavy, but manageable - it probably weighs less than the one I had for the Pennines way back in 2000 - I guess I am seventeen years older though.  The warm boots are cooking my feet, but other than that this is good, I'm finally out of the desert, these 'meadows', basically flat bottomed valleys enclosed by pine forest, seem very green after weeks of brown sand and dry vegetation.  Up into the forest, it grows cooler and there's plenty of water, the creeks swollen with snowmelt.  I climb to nearly ten thousand feet, some patches of snow here, but it's not too cold, time to camp, get a fire going and make dinner - carefully away from the tent now we're in bear country.

Day 2
My feet are sore from the long walk in hot boots yesterday, but they prove their worth as I climb above ten thousand feet, there's plenty of snow now, particularly on the north facing slope as I descend again, to reach some level terrain.  Nice walking, great views of the surrounding peaks, but unfortunately on the flat, snowmelt has collected in ponds and marshy ground, forming a breeding ground for swarms of mosquitoes which assault me for much of the day, clothes are no barrier to them, just have to bear it I guess.  Maybe they have scared away the hikers, I see one all day, and for the second day running I'm alone at camp - well, except for the mozzies of course.

The log over Rock Creek.

Day 3
I make a 6am start, walking through the magical early morning forest, with a long way to go, 24 miles is the plan.  There is much snow, it's hard work, the boots are good though, gripping well on the various types of snow, concrete hard early on, softening later.  I need my GPS now, I try following footprints but often they go the wrong way, it makes for slow progress, and it's late when I reach Rock Creek, the water looks high and dangerous to cross, I'm not wading it now, maybe it is time to camp?  Then I spot a message on the trail made from stones, 'xing' and an arrow, it points to a fallen tree across the creek, and I make it over!  Three more miles, then I camp and cook by moonlight.

Day 4
A big day, only a few miles along the trail, but with a detour to summit Mount Whitney!  This is the highest mountain in the 'contiguous states', i.e. not counting Alaska, I have to do it.  But I am three miles behind plan already, and take more time fording Crabtree Creek, which is literally stunningly cold - as I wade I find myself just standing there, have to focus on the need to keep moving.  I carry the tent four miles, so a mile up the detour, at least now the descent is only seven miles or so.  Then with a light pack it's a lovely walk, still a lot of snow, but I'm learning how to walk on it, including some use of my micro spikes!  I see what I think is a groundhog, gone before I can reach the camera though.  I pass people who have turned back, complaining about soft snow, what is wrong with it though?  I don't see the problem, it is easy to kick steps in, and not too dangerous surely - from skiing I know soft snow is good to fall on, and hard to slide downhill on.  I get to the top, there are of course great views, also a shelter (full of snow), and even people camping on top - I envy them the sleeping bags that allow this. I make it back to the tent in daylight, with a sore heel, boots aren't perfect.  I cook outside in the cold again, I miss eating in the tent, stupid bears.

Top of the world!

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Pacific Crest Trail : Tehachapi to Kennedy Meadows

Miles this section : 137
Miles completed : 702

Lavender blooming in the desert.

Funny place, Tehachapi - on the map, a substantial town built to a grid pattern, but on the ground it is mostly empty space, the odd block here and there filled with housing or retail, but separated by miles of desert.  It challenges my resolve to walk everywhere, but I manage somehow, not much of a rest day though as I find another, more central campsite - by Tehachapi's other airstrip - then make my way to the USPS and UPS offices, supermarket etc.  Just about find time for all-you-can-eat Chinese in the evening, and even a bar where I drink Pabst Blue Riband.  It's... beer.

It does get quite pretty at times.

I retrace my steps back to the trail without incident, and walk another long day through the desert, featuring many trail angels - over the course of the day I score two hot dogs, two sodas and two beers, can't be bad.  Before long though I am back to relying on my own resources, well I am carrying a lot of food and often water too, it is pretty scarce out here, sometimes twenty miles or more between springs, cattle troughs or whatever.  I start one monster section of some 42 dry miles carrying some 4.5 litres of water, there is a cache 7 more miles in, so a chance to 'camel up' again, but still the following 15 miles or so are hard work as I try to keep to a litre every ten miles.  Of course, there is then another cache, and indeed an angel with sodas, plus trail magic - pop tarts, which like much American food, taste oddly artificial.

The milestone of the beast!

The foot wide ribbon of dust and sand that is the trail winds on, over hills, down to cross dry creek beds, across saddles and through passes - makes for varied surroundings, bare sand and Joshua trees at lower altitudes, pine forest higher up.  I seem to have left the wind farms behind, perhaps because this is now protected wilderness... nice walking anyway, and I make good speed as the weather turns and with blanket cloud cover temperatures stay low, and it even rains - a bit.  My waterproof top stays in my bag, at least until the morning when it is perishing cold.

Kennedy Meadows.

Still plenty of hikers about, some familiar - Paul who started the same day as me, Pavel and Milo, reuniting Czechoslovakia on the PCT - others new to me, mostly fit young people who leave me for dust.  Still I'm doing the miles, over a quarter done now, and I can see the snowcapped Sierras in the distance.  First though, another zero day, Kennedy Meadows is the gateway to the Sierras, and not a lot else to be honest - population 200 according to the sign.  Still there are free chilli dogs, a store with beer, even a bar - two miles of empty desert away of course.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.