June 13 - Kennedy Meadows

End: Kennedy Meadows
Daily: 21.4
Total: 702.2

We made it!!!! I am not a big proponent of multiple exclamation points, but that statement deserved four.

We woke up all covered in dew, which we were expecting, having camped next to a creek and not under a tree. So we got a late start after letting our bags dry out in the sun a bit. Then we had a giant climb through a burn area. At the very top of this climb, we caught a glimpse of the high Sierra! They were totally covered in snow. We're going to be there in only a few days!

The rest of the day brought us into more and more beautiful stuff. You can really tell we're in the Sierra now - there are crazy rock formations and white granite and meadows and streams! We walked next to the Kern River for a while. The amount of water rushing in that thing was incredible. Now we stop worrying about not having enough water, and start worrying about there being too much in the form of snow and raging rivers we have to ford.

Finally, after walking through the heat of the day, we made it to Kennedy Meadows. We are done with our first challenge, Southern California, and now we're on to the real test.

Kennedy Meadows is yet another slice of the craziness that is small town America. We've been seeing a lot of that lately. It's such a huge destination for thru-hikers, but really it's only a "community" of 200 people with one tiny store. We're staying at Tom's Place, which is really just that - a place owned by Tom with a lot of trailers he gets for free from people who just need them removed from their land. We just set up a tent. Unfortunately the only showers are $3 and at the general store, which turns off the water when they're closed. Oh well. Hopefully laundry and showers in the morning.

Anyway, KM also has an awesome view. I wish I could post a picture. Maybe soon.