Day 56

Trail miles: 16.2

Total: 735.4

A slow morning with a steep hill. I stopped for breakfast on a nice sit rock overlooking the valley below. I ate a cliff bar with a shot of expression baked in! I met Brad and Spare Change at the top, where I asked is cramping under my ribs was a sign of elevation sickness. Brad just thinks I need to drink more salts, but yes it’s probably because of the elevation. I popped two Propel packets in my 1 liter bottle and followed him down the hill. I enjoy hiking with Brad because we can complain about things together. At the bottom of the hill, we took a break where Krista and Raechel were eating. All four of us hiked the three miles left to the water source/lunch spot where tons of hikers congregated. The water was mostly stagnant and had a layer of oil on top, but we were all desperate and needed about 3-4 liters. Spare Change asked where we were camping tonight, and I said “at the top of the hill, if you lose phone service, you’ve gone too far.” It look me so long to get up the next hill. I took a break about every mile. But I was rewarded with service and a beautiful view at the top! A lot of people are camping here or at the campsite about a mile further. I think we will see a lot of people at the lake tomorrow. Raechel plans on waking up early and booking it to the lake without stopping. It’s about 15 miles. I’ll get there when I get there I guess! 

There is a training camp for military pilots near here so they fly over all the time. I wish I could get a photo, but they are so darn quick. And because we are so high up, they are very close to us or sometimes even below us. At camp, one flew very close above us upside down and then took a dive right after it cleared the mountain we were on top of. Probably the coolest thing I’ve seen on the trip.

Dinner was noodles and pesto. I need to stop using Ramen noodles for these sorts of dinners because it is not good. But I am hungry enough to eat it and I don’t want to carry the weight out. So I eat everything even if I don’t like it. Or there is a good chance someone will eat it for you. I packed everything up in my bear canister and set it away from my tent. Not everything fits in it right now, but we technically don’t need it until tomorrow night (the boundary line). I need to ask someone if I need to toss my garbage and baby wipes in there.

Day 55

Trail miles: 17

Total: 719.2

I have no doubt that I have the heaviest pack on the trail. That’s probably why my should strap is ripping. But I can’t complain! I have my camera and a warm sleeping bag and I won’t get rid of either. 

Last night I came back to my food to a hole in the bag. I heard there was a mischievous squirrel stealing food and my fig newtons were it’s next victim. At least that’s all it stole and I didn’t have to wait around to do another resupply. It didn’t even finish the package so it must have gotten full. Brad helped me sort through the food to see if anything else was broken into. I woke up early today because I wanted to use the Wi-Fi one last time and work out the bear canister. Turns out it did not close because the thing is too big so I found some shoelace in the hiker box and tied it to the top. It isn’t perfect, but it’ll work for now. Maybe I can figure something else out in the next town. We took another group picture and took the shuttle at 7:00am. There was a lot of us starting this morning and we all hope to meet at the bottom of Whitney on Thursday in hopes for a sunrise climb Friday. The climb today was very gradual and I would have enjoyed it except my pack probably weighs like 50 pounds right now with everything. A nightmare. I was very slow and had to stop every few miles. I fell way behind. When I got to the lunch spot, I barely had time to eat before the crew was packing up and leaving. And they decided without me where they planned on camping, so that was sad no to be involved in that decision. A few miles after lunch we hit the Kern River again (which was more the size of a creek) and got to wade around a little. It was so beautiful and warm. Our campsite is in the pines, so it definitely feels like a change in the elevation. We are rising above 10,000 tomorrow morning so we may run into our first snow. Dinner was Spanish rice and spam. I will not be buying spam again. The good part about a weird dinner is the dessert is always good so I can at least wash it away. Welp, time to go brush my teeth, because hiker diets are cavity creators.

Day 54

Trail miles: 0

Total: 702.2

Somehow today was a much more relaxing day. Not entirely, but I did feel more accomplished. I got up bright and early to be in line around the front for breakfast. And we were able to get the Tottenham game on the TV! In non hiking related news, Tottenham win 5-0 to secure their spot in the Champions League!! And Sonny won the Golden Boot. The breakfast burrito was definitely not as good as the Hiker Breakfast. Next on the agenda was to fit my food supply into my bear canister. The first try was a complete failure and I had to step away for a little. Big Owl gave me the top to have my canister on its side and stack the food sideways and it worked! I got 6 days of food in there. The seventh will be on the outside of my pack to eat tomorrow. Technically we don’t need the bear canisters for another 3 days, so I’ll have to stuff some things like mayonnaise packets in my pack. Good luck to future Rebecca packing more than 6 days of food in there. Big Owl somehow got 12 days of food in hers, but her meals look much different than mine. I raised it up over my head when I was done and ran around saying “I did it!” Now I may have to unpack it though if it doesn’t fit in my pack. You aren’t really supposed to have a heavy item on top, they should be in the middle of your pack, close to your back. So I would put something lighter in the canister like clothes and stove in there while I was hiking and toss it on the top of my pack. Kendall drove Raechel, Krista, Coffee, and I to the Kern River to take a dip and eat some snacks in a different place than the back porch of Grumpy Bear. I had a cream soda, which was not as good as the Stewart’s brand. When we got back, I hopped straight into the shower and put the same exact clothes back on. It will smell again by the end of tomorrow anyway. I cleaned my pot and spoon, then had a long chat with almost everyone in the family (hope you are sleeping well in Germany Kiersten!) By the way Kiersten, every single German hiking this trail knows where you live. Sometimes I show the picture of you in front of your work sign. I always bring you up to the Germans, but I’m sure you’re not surprised. Only one couple was from Aachen, and I hope to see them when I come visit, so you can be climbing friends! 

I got the sweet chili wings for the second night in a row because they were that good. I had a nice dinner with Brad and Spare Change! Bed time was supposed to be early, because we have to leave by 7:00am and tomorrow will be the first time with our bear canisters actually on our packs. But I’m sitting here charging my phone still. Maybe I’ll wait until I can walk back with the walkway lights again. Hopefully I get a good night sleep with the many loud snoring hikers around. But I have great news: the patch held up so well and I didn’t have to blow it back up when I woke up in the middle of the night. Such a relief!!

Krista says I should mention one last story. Apparently Boomerang asked Potluck “how is that Asian guy hiking with three hot girls?” referring to us! Brad says it’s because of his mixed nuts or something like that. It’s a joke because he only eat peanuts while hiking, so he’s got jars full of them.

Day 53

Trail miles: 0

Total: 702.2

I slept in the longest I have slept in in my tent so far on trail. Which probably was a mistake, because I ended up having to wait almost 2 hours for my breakfast. It was nice for the long rest though. Breakfast was alright, but nothing I will probably remember or tell people about after the trail. It wasn’t about the waiting two hours that made me anxious, it was the fact that I had a lot to do and I felt like I was wasting time. Raechel made a bet last night while playing disk golf with some of the workers that she could finish 3 pancakes at breakfast. But they were larger than the size of the plate, so she only got through one and a half. Which was still really impressive. We took a trip to the General Store where I used the Wi-Fi to download the instructions to finding a hole in a sleeping pad. I started the process in the back area and filled a bucket I found with water from a broken shower and some leftover shampoo. I worked on it for about 20 minutes with no luck before Krista and Brad insisted on help. I am so grateful for that, because I was doing a terrible job. Brad was dumping soapy water on the bottom when Krista heard the leak. I ran over to grab a sharpie to circle the hole! I was so relieved to find it. But that was half the battle. When I got back to Grumpy Bear, we patched the hold using Agua Seal and Tenacious Tape. It went alright as far as I know, but there wasn’t enough sunlight left in the day for it to dry fully, so I will probably be sleeping on my 1/4in pad tonight. Plus I have to be up for the Tottenham game at 8am, so might not be a great sleep. I picked up my packages that I sent to myself and my mom packed for me at Grumpy Bear. I got a dry bag for my camera for the river crossings, my ice axe, and my microspikes. My mom also snuck in some homemade snickerdoodle and almond cookies to share with hikers! I went around handing them out and everyone was very grateful. For resupply, I went to the Triple Crown Outfitters next door to Grumpy Bear. They are a gear shop run by Yogi, run out of a trailer car. They had everything I needed like Injinji sock liners and individual snacks. Yogi helped me pick out shoe inserts for about 20 minutes, because my arches have been sore after a long day on trail. She even gave me good advice on how to cut them to fit into my shoe and how to work my way into wearing them all the time on trail. She has been telling everyone you don’t need an ice axe for this section, because there isn’t enough snow. I will for sure take mine, but it gives me a little piece of mind! Do I stayed with people until 10pm at the bar using the Wi-Fi downloading YouTube videos, because I bought the 8 hour Wi-Fi and wanted to make the most of it. I got a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for $8, which I felt bad about before I realized everyone else’s cocktails were the same price. So I think I got the better deal. They had a light path on the way back to the campsite which was lovely. I didn’t even need my headlamp to get back.

Day 52

Trail miles: 8.7

Total: 702.2

My alarm startled me this morning. Usually I wake up on my own, but I knew people were trying to make it for breakfast in Kennedy Meadows and I didn’t want to be the last to leave. I feel like I have the most to do in the mornings. We basically didn’t stop until we got to town, which was about 9 miles. The Kern River was a nice sight to see, but not enough to do more than delay us for a picture or two. We did not make it for lunch at either place. At the General Store, we were greeted with cheering as we rolled up, because we are done with the desert! It was also very crowded and overwhelming with backpackers. I wanted to leave almost immediately, which we pretty much did. I wish I would have taken more advantage of the Wi-Fi though because it was not free at Grumpy Bear. This must be where the rivalry occurs between the two placed to camp. The showers, package pickup, and camping are free at Grumpy Bear, so we are here for the night, but may go back tomorrow. Throughout the day I had a burger, fried shrimp, and a cocktail that were all really good! The showers here are outdoor, so if you are taller than me, you can probably see the mountains while you shower, or so I’m told. The day went by pretty quickly honestly, or maybe it’s because the cocktail put me to bed before sundown. Tomorrow I have to patch my sleeping pad, but some more food and gear from the outfitter, and figure out how to get my bear canister on to my pack. All after more food of course. I could pay someone to run my feet right now.

Day 51

Trail miles: 20.7

Total: 693.5

So fun fact, ants are cold blooded, so when the sun goes down, they stop moving. If you get up early enough, you can see them on trail start to wake. It’s similar to the humans. I made my way to the trail this morning, and a lot more people had showed up overnight. They were packing up. Along the trail, I passed late risers still in their tents and hikers gathering their belongings to move on. The ants pick up where they left off and continue with the days work. Brad says he is much like these ants too and doesn’t start going until he charges up in the sun.

Today was a rush day. We hiked and hiked with little breaks until we got to camp. I started early and hiked a casual pace by myself until I got to the first water source about 8 mile in. It was very enjoyable. At the road crossing was trail magic, but the only food left was cold cans of coke, which was still great! I decided to pack mine out, because it was still so early. I wrapped it in my puffy to keep it cold. The next 6 miles we’re uphill. It was split up by a spring 2 miles in which was a great excuse to take a break. That was the worst part of the hill, though, as I was able to hike the next 4 without stopping! At the top we were treated to a view of the Sierras, and if you could see Mt Whitney. But not me. I had no idea which one it was. Our break was short, because there was no shade and the rest was downhill. So we headed on to camp. We got there by 3:00pm and found some camps in the shade and a little waterfall to rinse our clothes out in. The gang is getting bigger. Tonight we shared a large dinner in my campsite along with all the ants. Tomorrow is a quick 8 miles to mile 700 and Kennedy Meadows, which means the end of the desert section! It’s bittersweet because the heat and maybe winds and long water carrys end, but now we have scary snow slopes and heavier packs from snow gear. Everyone says the views are worth it though! For now, looking forward to town showers, laundry, and food!