Day 46: Injuries Change Plans
My plans changed in a big way today. Ned told us he can’t go on and must turn back and hike out of Cottonwood Pass leading into Lone Pine. His back and knee hurt badly. I contemplated going on anyway but decided that I Read More
Day 45: Self Arrest
From Chicken Springs Lake mile 750.8 to somewhere off the trail near Rock Creek mile 759.4 Day one of the Mountain Education advanced snow skills class began at 6am with self arrest training. If you find yourself plummeting down a steep snowy slope how Read More
Day 44: Chicken Springs Lake
From mile 746.4 to Chicken Springs Lake mile 750.8 4.4 miles does not sound like much but it sure felt like it. For openers I did not sleep well last night because I was cold. Being on snow makes a huge difference. By 3am Read More
Day 43: Welcome To Snow
From Death Creek Canyon mile 730.8 to mile 746.4 about 1.1 miles north of Trail Pass As I write this I am laying in my tent and I am currently warm. I am at 10,700 feet and camped on snow. Will I stay warm Read More
Day 42: Sporadic Snow
From Kern River mile 716.5 to Death Creek Canyon mile 730.8 The rain stopped last night after we pitched camp but we woke up this morning in a thick fog and everything was soaked. As we broke camp the sun burned through so we Read More
Day 41: Rainy Climb
From Kennedy Meadows mile 702.2 to Monache Meadow / Kern River mile 716.5 Chris and I planned to leave at 7 this morning but that didn’t happen. He lost his toothbrush so we had to wait for the general store to open at 9. Read More
Day 40: Zero At KM
I spent the day at Kennedy Meadows eating, sorting out my new gear, sorting food supplies and reading a book. In the morning I took the shuttle (a pickup truck jammed with 15 hikers) to Grumpy Bears for breakfast. I was not able to Read More
Day 39: Kennedy Meadows
From mile 683.3 to Kennedy Meadows mile 702.2 18.9 miles today plus another .7 on the road to get to the Kennedy Meadows general store. I started at 7am and arrived at 3pm. I got my packages, had a cold shower and s lasagne Read More
Day 38: Sierra Plans
From mile 664.8 to mile 683.3 Only 18.5 miles today but I am in a lovely spot and to go further would have meant starting a long climb and likely having trouble finding a level spot. Much of the chatter among hikers for the Read More
Day 37: Onyx
From Walker Pass mile 652.1 to mile 664.8, plus 34 miles of hitching to Onyx and back. I was on the road with my thumb out by 5:50 this morning. It dropped to the low 40s last night which was great for sleeping but Read More
