Week 3: Bear Springs CA, to Kennedy Meadows, CA

Week 3 Mileage: 254.5

Ups, Downs and Friggin’ Wind

I’m writing this before the end of my week. The reason being, is that I’m at Kennedy Meadows just before the start of the Sierra and I will not have service until I reach Mammoth Lakes, CA (about 6 days.) The mileage total for this week will be plugged in then.

Anyway, after Bear Springs I pushed really hard through this section trying to make it to Hiker Town in East bum fuck dessert land to resupply. The trail would twist and turn up and down huge mountains all day. The sun was cooking me but I was able to pull a solid 38 for the day. Friday at 4pm I reached my destination where about 25 hikers were chilling out. I got a shuttle to the  market and after dropping $150 on 5 days worth of food and a double cheeseburger with roast beef sub on the side, I headed back, packed up and left with about 12 other hikers. This stretch leading out of  Hiker Town follows the L.A. aqueduct for a bit then peels off east towards this enormous windmill farm. It’s popular to do this section at night due to the exposure. The other 12 hiked on, to the next water source 17 miles out, but I only did 6 miles finishing with 37 for the day.

Early the next morning, I hiked hard, being blasted by wind all the way to Tehachapi, CA. My tent collapsed on me in the middle of the night but I was too tired to fix it, so I just slept, buried in my tent for 3 hours. The next morning I crossed the interstate and did the big climb out. Once at the top, the trail was a cruiser downhill for a while and I was able to hike late and do a 39. I had hiked a Portion with a cool Norwegian named “Kachow.”

Water sources are just okay, I’m comfortable doing 10 miles with 2 liters now. Making it to a spring the next morning, I reevaluated my food. It was low and I was over a 100 miles from Kennedy meadows. After huge wind blowing me around all day, and two 15-plus mile water carries, I arrived at Birds Spring Pass. There was a water cache, but no food. I mentioned this to a guy and he said he had plenty of food and was getting off the next day. He loaded me up. I was also running low on T.P. The cache had some and I was so relieved (no pun intended). I had been worried that one of my socks was going to have to become my toilet paper. I finished at the top of a mountain, wind whipping, tent again collapsing. Without much sleep, I was on the trail at 5:30 a.m.

Eating breakfast on the side of the trail at 7:30, I met a Brazilian named Bruno. Cool dude living in Amsterdam. We hiked most of the day together. I finished with 38 miles and woke up and was on the trail at 4:30 am. I had 29 miles to do to before arriving at Kennedy Meadows before the store and grill closed at 5. I made it by 3:30. I replaced my shoes for the first time after doing about 703.2 miles in just over 20 days. My average being 34.7 up to this point.

I have my axe, micro spikes and bear canister now. 6 days of food and 202 miles to get through the first half of the Sierra. Everything feels good, and I just found out a bridge is washed out at mile 850. Not sure how I’m going to get across, but I’ll deal with that when I get there. Just so you all know, I won’t be able to update my location for a while because of the no-service thing. Adios!