June 5: Kennedy Meadows

We saved ourselves a nice little morning walk of less than 2 hours. On the way in we got our glimpse of the South Fork Kern River, the most water we have seen yet. In most places it was probably about 10 ft wide and a few feet deep. By many stardards it was not large, but this was our sign that we were leaving the desert for good and heading to bigger mountains and higher country.

We arrived at the paved road and got a lift the 0.7 mile down to the Kennedy Meadows General store. It was still before 9am so they weren't quite open. We went and pitched our tarp to claim some sleeping space, as around 40 hikers were probably staying the night tonight. This is a place probably every thru-hiker stops. Many years hikers end up taking multiple days off here waiting for snow to melt in the High Sierra Mountains just before us.

At the store we grabbed some huge muffins and an ice cream cookie sandwich. We collected our mail which included 2 bear canisters for food storage, our ice axes (packaged exceptionally well by Chad), a box of food we mailed from Agua Dulce, and a box of goodies from my folks. We paid $2 a box for them storing it, but my grandma's letter and a post card were free. It was fun getting all the mail, but we also knew our packs would be heavier with our ice axes and a 2.5 lb bear canister which is required in the upcoming national parks.

The store has a great porch to hang out on and chat with other hikers and is like what you would find at a campground. Well, a campground that is okay with having all kinds of junk and scrap metal laying around. They offered amazing double cheeseburgers at lunch! We enjoyed hot showers in the outdoor stalls and were able to do some laundry both for $2. We repackaged all our food and fit (smashed) it into the bear canister. I can probably get about 4-5 days food to fit. So, I have some other food to eat until I get to the required spot.

At dinner they offered a Lasagna meal for $8 and it came with a dessert which we enjoyed with about 25 other hikers. Just down the road from the store a guy has set up a satalite internet connection in a trailer and lets hikers use it for a donation. We enjoyed the community of other hikers and were excited to reach the end of the desert and be at a place that once seemed so far away.

That night we enjoyed a little concert by a hiker playing a backpacker guitar and another on a ucalaly (sp?).

Total Milage: 702.8
Today's milage: 5.7
Camp 39: K.M. General Store

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