Day 45, Mile 704
I have finally arrived at The Kennedy Meadows, which is the big resupply before hitting the Sierras! KM is a small little town nestled in the foothills of the Sierras. It is beautiful here and gives me a small taste of what kind of panoramic sights are to come. So what better place to take a zero day (day off) to relax, recoup, and get organized with some of the extra food and gear I will have to take for this next section. Hoping since there will be more water options now and I will not have to carry as much, that will make up for some of the added gear weight (ice axe, micro spikes, ect).
I will also admit that this last section from Tehachapi to KM was brutal due to high winds so the extra day is a welcome break. Over the last week I have been pushing through these high winds and at times if I was caught off guard I would be almost knocked off my feet. I felt like I was in a boxing ring with my hands tied behind my back. There is nothing you can do but take it. You can yell at the wind but as I found out that does no good either. Someone told me they heard there were wind gusts recorded up to 80 mph. Let me tell you, not so fun in the desert! Although I welcomed the cooler temperatures (until it snowed on me one night), the sand blasted in my face kinda sucked. There was one night I tried to set up the tent to keep out of the wind and blowing dirt but within minutes it was fully collapsed by the wind. This was no wimpy 2 pole tent either. So I just took refuge behind a couple Joshua trees, threw out my sleeping bag, fastened it tight over my head and called it good for the night. Ugg, didn't get much sleep though! Luckily winds have died down as of late but I am sure some of those ridges up in the Sierras will have more of the same to offer but at least it will come with some amazing views.
Gator is also doing well but definitely ready for a break. At times he gets a little burned out but we have only had 4 days off since we started so completely understandable. But he is looking forward to hitting the higher elevations and hiking up Mt. Whitney.
All else is going great and really looking forward to the next 200 miles of remote wilderness!!
5 comments:
700 miles! Holy cow! Hope you enjoy your rest day. Send pictures when you can! Love you.
Hey, congratulations on your progress. You're about to hit some truly beautiful areas. Yosemite is just jaw dropping, stunningly beautiful.
Let us know when you'll be in the Lake Tahoe area and we'll work a bit of trail magic. :)
Seth
Only 4 days off?! You deserve a break! Wind is my least favorite element, it'll put me in a bad mood every time. I'm impressed that you hiked through such high winds!
Keep it up sis. The hard work and perseverance will pay off.
Keep it up, guys! Glad to hear you are both doing so well out there!
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