Sunday June 6th to Wednesday June 9th, 2021 (Day 1 to 4)
Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows South
(50.1+ Miles)
In which I climb up out of the edge of the desert into the mountains while carrying the heaviest pack of all the thru hikers and start to break in my trail legs.
Journal from Sunday 6/6/21 Day 1:
Mid-afternoon. I sit beneath a rare cluster of scraggly fit trees, the only small sliver of shade in any direction under the hot unrelenting sunshine. Dappled bright light still bursts its way through amongst the branches but a slight breeze occasionally picks up, blowing in more bearable cool air from the mountain tops all around, some tiny white clouds just pushing over the western horizon in the distance. I sit taking a rest here on small rock half buried in the desert sand, some sticky sap on my new sandals. An afternoon siesta because the 2:30pm sun really is baking and grueling and I can totally see why I’m really the only one out here at this time of day. Just inching myself along while slow roasting my not-yet-tanned skin surfaces. Day 1, and I made it to the trail! And then made it up the trail a bit of a ways, and then even made it up a first “climb“ switch backing up something like 2.5 or 3 miles past Joshua Trees, and tiny cacti blooming with fuchsia flowers, and little yellow flower flannel bush, and some burned out pinyon pine remnants, the scent of sage brush wafting through the air.
I sit and take in the view, the trail below snaking down further and further away from the highway, reaching down towards the edge of the Mojave, the endless quiet of the desert punctuated by the gusts of wind escaping the desolate ridges behind ridges fading off into the distance just disappearing into a blur with the sky. I think to myself how glad I am to be able to experience this hot and dry desert environment, to see the cacti and desert plants and fee that scorching sun. I think to myself, maybe I sure am glad to jumping ahead here for just a taste, to not have to suffer the whole section of the desert this late in the season now...
(Other notables from Day 1 were: two out-and-back hikers happened to randomly appear heading south as I crested the hill, and at the exact right moment gifted me a pair of sun gloves to protect my scorched hands, which were a life saver for me cursing forgetting some being so clean and green)
Day 2 and 3:
Walking along ridge lines, wind flapping my tent overnight and sun baking my sun hat during the day. Not going to lie, that first night was a major culture shock, and I ran out of water to cook with. Clif bar dinner and overworked soreness, I was definitely wondering “can I actually do this?? am I unprepared with my last minute over-packing??“ I certainly went to sleep with doubts feeling in over my head. The next day with a first full night of sleep in 3 days, I finally starred getting used to my overloaded pack, and learning to adjust my posture and straps to fit my over-weight load.
Learning and adjusting seems to be the theme for the beginning of this hike, as I finally begin to understand what the sport of thru-hiking is really like, and how it differs from regular backpacking. Movement or tired seem to be the two modes, with little actual energy for downtime at the end of the day, and lightweight is the name of the game. Maybe bringing my 600 page several pound Tending the Wild book may have been more suffering than novelty at this point, and I am working on speed reading tI mail it off at Kennedy meadows.
Most importantly I met new friends! My first encounter with a Trail Family and I was glad to be introduced to some folks who have been at it since Mexico and soaking up their knowledge as we walk uphill together. Thank goodness for their gift of extra water when I underestimated the distance between springs in this dry and challenging section.
I am walking carefully still, working my mileage up in steady increments to protect my knees and untrained muscles. 9 miles, then 15.5, working up to 16.5 on day 3. Getting easier and smoother as I go...
These days are punctuated by firsts, and also lasts. First water filtering, first cowboy camping under the stars, first bright meteor strike across the northern sky. First pink beaver tail cactus flowers, bending over to take a photo of each new flower type and color I come across, wide-eyed and still fresh to the trail. These desert flowers fade and disappear as I gain elevation further and further transitioning into the more montane meadows of the Sierra ahead. I said goodbye to the Last of the Joshua trees on day 2 already (and thinking about that for the trail and also lamenting their not too distant disappearance due to climate change).
The environmental changes are gradual at first, and then more and more suddenly noticeable at each compass aspect, the evergreen shade growing overhead and decomposed granite ground cover replacing sand, dreaming of flowing River sources in the coming distance.
Day 4 into Kennedy Meadows!
Another hot and challenging day with little water, and the spring at manter creek was just a slimy mud puddle, so I booked it at a quick non-stop pace 4.5 miles with only 1/2 a liter to the oasis that was the south fork of the Kern! I jumped right in to the first cool flowing water I’ve seen in 4 days. Invigorated and ready to rock into Km south to rendezvous with the hiker bubble party.
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