Each time I woke up during the night my mind annoyingly reminded me that there was something ‘negative’ going on. That’s when I would remember the tear in my tent-mesh and my thoughts went to the tedious task ahead of fixing it later today. I got hiking again around 0630, ready to get the last 12.5 miles in, to highway 108. There I’d try to hitch into Kennedy Meadows North. As soon as I hiked out above the tree-line, the landscape changed dramatically. There were meadows and large wide open spaces in the valley. I welcomed them gladly; the forests and the granite-rich but sometimes narrow valleys that dominated the terrain the past two days had starting to feel suffocating. Of course the added smoke of the Yosemite forest-fire did not help.
Half-way up the climb out of the valley I ran into another thru-hiker called Swiss-Chocolate. We chatted a little, while we caught a break and enjoyed the lovely views. He intended to get off trail to KMN too, so we’d try to hitch out together once we got to the highway. The abundance of water in the Sierras has made me lazy, such that I don’t really keep track on the interactive maps where to expect water any more. It was during my break that I drank the last of my water. After checking the report, I learned that the next water-source would be 6.5 miles. Great… That’s the PCT punishing you immediately for acting ignorant. The section would be fully exposed, and of course it was getting hot again. Nothing to do put press on, hopefully there would be another source sooner, which was not listed on our maps.
At the top of the pass I got cell-phone coverage, so I spend almost an hour there to update and upload all my back-logged entries from the past week. I felt relieved to get them sorted out. Less mental clutter. Around 1300 Swiss-Chocolate and I made it down to the highway. There we’d wait for 30 minutes before we got a hitch from a local in his van. His van was packed with climbing gear, and the gentleman was very friendly, telling us about all his travels (he’d been on the road for several weeks, touring the country). He brought us all the way to the Kennedy Meadows North Ranch (which included a 1 mile side-trip off the highway and over a dirt-road). We got out and I dropped my pack on the balcony of the General Store of the ranch. Time to cool down and get some ice-cream. I was getting familiar with the place, looking around and seeing what the store had to offer, and guess what? Jup, Pops and Jukebox where there! Hugs all around, and with a pint of vanilla-ice cream on the porch, it was time to catch up. I didn’t expect to run into them so soon, but my big days got me close enough to catch them. I was psyched! Where I initially planned on staying the night in KNM, I decided to hike out with them in the early evening the same day.
I quickly got my resupply done for South Lake Tahoe (75 miles away), and then Jukebox helped me to patch up my tent. I’ve used a special type of transparent tape, and was able to fix the tear a lot more elegantly than with the leuko-tape attempt of the previous night. It should hold, and I was happy that I could scratch that chore off my to-do list. After grabbing a burger, we got back to the road to hitch out again. We waited for several hours, but unfortunately by 2015, nobody had picked us up (there was very limited traffic passing along the road we hitched out from). We decided to call it a day in terms of hitching (the first time we didn’t manage to get a ride thusfar) and chose to set up our tents at the nearby campsite. We got a beautiful large site, with plenty of space and a fire-pit. It was suggested we’d make s’mores and hot-dogs, and we quickly arranged for Jukebox to go and pay for the campsite, while Pops and I literally ran back to get to the General Store before closing-time. We arrived before they closed down for the night and grabbed our food for the camp-fire. Around 2130 we pitched our tents and quickly got a fire going. Then it was time for some good old fashioned American hot-dogs. They also taught me how to make the s’mores, which I’d never had before (molten marshmallow with a chunk of chocolate, trapped between two gram-crackers). Sweet, and pretty good.
We had a blast catching up all afternoon, and I look forward to hiking with them again tomorrow. To finish the evening in hysterical fashion, Jukebox suggested to play the game “Chubby bunny”. Basically you each take turns and stuff a marshmallow in your mouth. Then you say “Chubby Bunny”. When it’s your turn again, you add another marshmallow and repeat “Chubby Bunny”. This goes on for as long as you can still properly pronounce and enunciate “Chubby Bunny”. Pops thought the game so hilarious that he couldn’t stop laughing, tears rolling down his face. That of course cracked me and Jukebox up too. With 6 Marshmallows I was the ultimate winner of “Chubby Bunny”, and as a first price a took back to my tent a healthy dose of nausea…
It was unexpected to run into my buddies so soon, but I’m extremely happy it worked out this way. No more hiking in solitude the coming days, I’m looking forward to it.
An hour away from home,
and time’s never felt this slow
It feels like a week ago,
Do you feel it to?
I bet you went back to bed,
My pillow beneath your head
Repeat the last word I said:
“I miss you”
You’re all I need,
So fall back to sleep
Wherever I go, wherever I’ll be
Oh I just hope that you’re thinking ’bout me
And that you don’t doubt my love, if you’re lonely
Wherever you’ll go, whatever you see
You’re not alone, and never will be
Baby just know, wherever you go,
Is where I’ll be
Wherever You Go – A Rocket to the Moon
