Double zero

Day 42

Second zero day

Kennedy Meadows

Because of Kevin’s foot and my blisters we had decided to take two zeros here. Sleeping in til 8 am felt so great this morning. We have tried to make this double zero not super expensive so we are eating from our resupply box and some cheap meals at TCO and I scored some good stuff from the hiker box too. Hiker boxes have been gold so far, lots of stuff other hikers don’t want that have been super great for me!

It has been really fun to be here for two days and see almost everyone that we have met on the trail that was behind us. We have seen a few groups that started with us but had taken longer breaks in towns and such and now they have caught up. We are starting again tomorrow with one group that we have really enjoyed hiking with.

It has been awesome hearing how everyone is doing and learning more about people’s backgrounds. I talked with one woman from Switzerland today for awhile. She is a social worker and was telling me about what that is like in her practice and we were comparing notes to what counseling and social work was like here.

Then I talked with a marine botanist who studied frogs and whales. I learned so much about whales in the North Atlantic Ocean and what she has been working on with her team of protecting the whales and helping to change legislation and fishing practices to not harm the whales. It was so neat to hear how these measures are working and things are getting better. I think I don’t always get to hear about these types of hopeful situations. Also I love whales and loved learning about her work.

Then we spent some time repairing our gear. I sewed our gaiters again and put some patches on Kevin’s. Then we patched our tent. I don’t think our tent will last for this thruhike which is disappointing. It has gone over 3,100 miles so it isn’t like it is just breaking on day one but tents are so expensive so we were hoping it would make it. The DCF fabric is weather worn.

Tomorrow we set out into the Sierras! I am very excited to be up in the mountains again! We have done some hiking around this section and we have been in mountains a lot so I’m not too nervous about that aspect but there is always the cautious thought in the back of my head that the mountains can whop your hinny in a matter of seconds and be life threatening. Mother Nature doesn’t give a crap about your experience and knowledge but always has the upper hand. I like to call this cautious part of me a healthy respect for the mountains because there is also the bold and strong part of me that still like to go out and climb these suckers.

Zero Day

Day 41-June 18

Kennedy Meadows General Store

Zero day

Today is our second zero day on the trail. Zero miles hiked. The general store allows camping in their back forest for free. Showers and laundry are four dollars each so I just wash my clothes in the shower since we just did actual laundry in Ridgecrest. We work to get our errands done. Showers, laundry, getting a bear can, sorting food, buying enough to get to Lone Pine.

The atmosphere of Kennedy Meadows is interesting. The three businesses that operate here don’t always seem to get along and various things are needed from each spot so it can be tricky to navigate the shops that are a couple miles apart. There is a shuttle but yesterday they decided to not run since a hiker had brought in outside beer to an unlicensed area at a business. This could of course cost the business their liquor license and it was an international hiker who had no idea but wasn’t the first person to do this so everything blew up. So we just did our best to respect each business well and not take advantage.

We camped at the general store and did showers there but rented the bear cans and did resupply at Triple Crown Outfitters then got lunch at Grumpy’s and took their shuttle back to the general store. TCO has the best deal for renting a bear can. There is a deposit and charge but at North Kennedy Meadows we can drop off the can and never have to pay to ship or buy the awkward things which would cost more than the $50 to rent. Plus where we live you don’t need a hard sided bear can so there was no reason for us to buy the bigger size when we have the smaller ones.

The rest day felt great. It was fun to sit on the porch and eat meals with fellow hikers and meet some new faces that had been hiking with others we knew.

Kevin also had an appointment with the physical therapist who has been treating hikers. His foot started hurting him a couple days ago and it has been concerning. She didn’t think it was broken which is a plus and gave him some things to do to help. It is awesome the resources becoming available to thru hikers which really helps the hiker become more manageable and successful.

End of an era

Day 40-June 17

Fox Mill Spring to Kennedy Meadows South

18.9 miles

It felt like the end of an era. The end of the desert section of the PCT. Instead of crossing state lines like the AT, we are celebrating finishing geographical and ecological sections. When Kevin and I first talked about thruhiking a trail, I said I didn’t want to do the PCT because I am scared of snakes and the desert section would be too much. So we did the AT. Then I began wishing to do the PCT. Now here we are, through the section that I dreaded and I’m okay! Stronger for it actually!

The desert in many places was beautiful! The flowers were still blooming, water in some places still flowing, and the sunsets absolutely gorgeous. The way that animals and plants survive and thrive in the desert is so neat. I’m just happy I could adapt to survive through it too!

In this section, I learned to listen to my body about water and hydration. I learned to look for the small details like little plants or animals-because they can all poke or sting you. But this was a good reminder to appreciate every part of an ecosystem, not just the big parts. And this is a practice I want to continue in the Sierras where it is easy to just look at the mountains as beautiful, but every part holds its importance there as well.

Kennedy meadows is a tiny little population on the edge of the Sierra that boosts of a three main establishments which cater to hikers. We are camping at the General store which is walking distance from the trail. We walked down the road and into the gravel parking lot where the whole porch of hikers erupted into applause. It is a tradition of the spot to clap every hiker into the shop! Everyone is so happy to be done with one major section and also looking ahead to the next. We said hello to a few hikers we knew and then some friends arrived throughout the afternoon as we sat and drank cold drinks and ate French fries! What a life!