Days 31 - 36. The Highs, And The Lows. Miles 566 to 702.

A very early start out of Tehachapi, the 4.15am bus (I’m retired and a cab was $40 vs the $3 bus!). Yes, public transport in the US but weird schedules. The trail paralleled the highway for a number of miles before starting to climb so doing it by headlamp didn’t mean I was missing anything. In fact the sunrise with the wind farm in the far distance was pretty dramatic (zoom in on the picture).

A day of long climbs, but with the cold winds it wasn’t too arduous and a sweet wind free spot to set up my tent caped off the day.

I awoke the next morning to freezing temperatures and pain in both feet. My left heel had split having dried out so much - probably a result of the showers and hotel soap combined with not wearing socks around the hotel. The tendon across the top of my right foot was swollen and painful. So much for taking a double zero to recover! A cold hazy morning with dramatic ice coated scenery. However with both feet painful the day dragged and I made camp in a wind sheltered spot early after only 20 miles. The first day I’ve had where I struggled to find enjoyment in the trail.

I did however pass mile 600!

The next morning my heel was sore and tendons swollen but as soon as I started hiking the pain seemed to ease and I got back into the rhythm of the trail. Desert landscapes, dramatic trails contouring rocky mountainsides and sweet camping spots defined the next few days. The crack on my heel closed up and my left foot was now pain free although the top of the right foot was painful on waking but seemed to ease up as soon as I started hiking.

This whole segment my thoughts were getting to Kennedy Meadows South at mile 702 which marks finish of the desert section and the start of the Sierra. On the penultimate day to Kennedy Meadows my plan was to do a longish day leaving only 10 miles or so on the final day - my first ‘Nero’ or near zero day. A long climb was eased with conversations with various different people and just before the final 2,700’ climb there was trail magic! Fueled by an ice cold Coors Light and muffin the climb seemed easy and I made it nearly 30 miles before settling down for the night after viewing an amazing sunset.

Picked up near the trail head by the folks from the bar I was going to be camping at, and where my resupply package, including my bear canister was, the breeze riding in the back of the truck felt great and I knew I was going to be at the bar for a very big breakfast!

Thanks for continue reading. I’ve never written or journaled like this before (as you can probably tell!). I’m enjoying the process, reliving the days and having a record and reminder of the trail. Plus having a lot of photos in chronological order!