#ca section g

We have posted other photo sets from Florian’s thru-hike. These are from his return to the High Sierra in early August to complete the section bypassed earlier in his trip north.  Check out his blog at:

For PCT hikers, Kennedy Meadows can generally be reduced to two things - the General Store and the end of (or beginning of) the desert. The reality is that it is an immense flat watered by the Kern River and bounded by the Golden Trout Wilderness to the north and west, by the South Sierra Wilderness to the east and by the Domeland Wilderness to the south.  The area was homesteaded in the latter part of the 1800s with family ranches and now is a diffuse community of 28 permanent residents with many more seasonal visitors who occupy homes spread across this high valley.

Traditionally the area was a summer camp for Indians of the Owens Valley. There are traces of Indian encampments throughout the area indicated by the presence of Obsidian shards and arrowheads. Obsidian is not native to the area and had to be transported in.

This photo, taken at the General Store, by Linda Akerberg (see also photo set posted April 27, 2017). You can check out her photography and the story of her 2016 thru-hike at:

Miyagi and Aquarius (Lindsey and Dave) are on their way north on the PCT.  Their blog, complete with artwork, makes for a very pleasant read.  I have included a sample below and the link to their blog:

https://thefalingfox.com/2016/06/21/the-700-club/

They met while both working at an outdoor gear store in Ann Arbor, Michigan five years ago…they hiked and explored many great hiking trails of the Midwest and East Coast but after Miyagi graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design the West Coast called to them and they moved to Portland. Dave notes that, “Portland had been home for three years now and the dream of a thru hike has always been on our minds ever since we met and would look at the maps of the AT, CDT and PCT during work. So last year with the knowledge that Miyagi’s work contract at Nike would expire in the spring and I could get a leave of absence from my job we planed our hike!”

For more on Miyagi’s past art and history check out her website http://www.lefoxstudio.com  I will continue to report on this 6 month artist trail residency!

Henry David Thoreau once said that “I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit…” I’m not saying the desert was a bad experience in any way shape or form. In fact the beauty we found there was unique as it was beautiful…but that 700 miles as a whole was a bodily effort with moments of spirit.

But we are here now; in Kennedy Meadows, gateway to the Sierra Mountains and the desert is slowly becoming a distant memory with every shower we take and load of laundry we do.

But let’s rewind shall we… We left Tehachapi in the early evening hoping to make it at least 10 miles back up into the foot hills…that plan went to shit real quick when after just 2 hours on the trail the sun was setting and the winds were picking up from 25 to 35 to gusts over 55mph! With 40 pound packs were being knocked around with each gust…a few brought us to our knees! With the sun almost set we made peace with the fact we would be cowboy camping for the night; our tent would not survive the wind. But, in the most epic “the trail will provide moment”, we came across a man made wind break underneath a huge Joshua Tree! Someone had taken the time to stack rocks and dead yucca stalks in a “V” shape pattern from the base of the tree outward. There was room enough for one tent and we didn’t hesitate to make camp! We would hear from other hikers latter that they regretted not taking that site.

Day 2 brought the last of the windmill farms and the start of the longest waterless stretch on the trail. For 42 miles there would be no naturally occurring water sources and we would rely on two trail Angels “Siri” and “Devil Fish” who had been maintaining caches of about 200 gallons. Still,even with known caches we still carried 5 - 6 liters due to the fact we did not know the volume of water that was left at each cash. The extra pack weight, the 100-degree temperatures and the lack of shade for almost 50 miles made this the hardest two days in terms of both mental and physical exhaustion.

There was a light at the end of this sandy tunnel however, and it shown in the form of Walker Pass campground! On day 4 we arrived in the early evening to the Walker Pass BLM Campground where some truly amazing trail magic awaited us. “Yogi” (of Yogi’s PCT guide fame) and “Meadow Ed” the oldest trail angel on the PCT were holding banquet for 40 Thru Hikers in the parking lot of the campground! That nights menu included Chili, fresh salad, cookies, raspberry lemonade with fresh raspberries, and three giant birthday cakes in honor of Meadow Ed’s 71st birthday!

The next evening brought another first…mosquito swarms and the meowing  of a baby mountain lion…that’s right they meow just louder and longer! Sleep came slowly as the sounds of the mountain cat and buzzing of the swarm filled our ears. We awoke at 3 am though to a different sound…that of rain on our flyless tent…it made for a wild and delirious frolick in the mud as I did my best to prevent a soaking.

But, all that didn’t matter because the next day we came out of the desert hills and into Kennedy Meadows. And, as I sit here feasting on my double bacon burger and ice cold IPA I can’t help but think back to grade school; second grade in fact, where Miss Hatta told us the story of Jesus’s journey through the desert. I believe it’s documented in the gospels of Matthew and Luke and the bible boys wrote something like this…

“Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty days without eating; he lives among wild beasts, and angels minister to him. At the end of this time Satan tempts him three times, seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God…”

I find the comparison of our journey to Christs oddly amusing…we both entered the desert driven by a spirt; his holy and ours natural. For forty days we walked and toiled, testing ourselves and our resilience to not give into our demons. We both lived among “wild beasts” ours just happened to include that of the “hiker trash” variety. And most importantly, we were both ministered to by Angels!

So, day 41 and the desert has been washed away…the beer is cold, the bonfires warm, and the company top notch, as we rest amount friends, trade stories of the “trials of miles” and “miles of trials” and play the coveted game or two of euchre! Tomorrow we head into the high places, but for now, we rest easy knowing we have earned our way into Nature’s grand cathedral!

Ken and Eric (2004)

By Ken Schwarz

Section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail provides a degree of flexibility in choosing the season, direction and location of a journey. Backpackers are bonded by common goals and basic human needs, and interactions can be brief or prolonged. Occasionally, a familiar face from a past encounter is recognized. Stories are shared, and sometimes a story is made.

It was early April, 2004, weeks before the annual PCT Kickoff. I was hiking southbound from Kennedy Meadows. The hills glistened from a recent snowstorm. Large globules of clear ice fell from pine boughs onto the ground, refracting light. I felt like I was hiking on a trail of diamonds. As the southern flank of the Sierra transitioned to desert, the silhouette of Spanish Needle framed the sinking sun. A tattered wooden sign pointed to Joshua Tree Spring, a quarter of a mile away. I needed to get water and climb another1650 feet before the sun set.

I descended to the spring, which was sheltered from the cold wind. Next to a blazing fire sat Eric, a tall Austrian hiker who wore the largest boots I had ever seen. My lightweight trail runners paled in comparison. The combination of his accent and my exhaustion made it difficult for me to understand him. My eyes were fixated on twelve cans of beer that he had placed around his pack. As thirsty as I was, I felt that if he had carried the beer, it must be important to him. I restrained myself and filled my 2-liter Platypus at the trough. When I learned that he was headed for Canada, I told him he was very early and there was a lot of snow in the Sierras. The target date for through hikers was to leave from Kennedy Meadows on June 15th. He nodded, but I wasn’t sure that he had understood me.

Late that May, atop Mt. Ashland I was headed southbound with Del “Steelaway” Granlund, a section hiker from Pittsburgh, who had returned to Oregon for his high school reunion. The reunion dictated our early start, yet Del, formerly with Oregon Mountain Rescue Council, was familiar with snow travel. As we gained altitude, the snow and wind grew in intensity. Drifts of snow on the windward slopes were up to twenty feet in depth and navigation would be a challenge. Suddenly a large figure emerged from the blizzard. To my amazement, it was Eric! After greetings and congratulations, Eric spoke of his goal to be the first to complete the trail that year. As he began his descent to Ashland (and more beer!), his last words to me were “I lost my hiking stick near Etna Summit.”

In the following days we oriented our maps with distant ridge lines, often estimating where the buried trail might lay. Yet occasionally, much to our relief, we would spy large tracks that let us know that Eric had passed this way. What a mountaineer! South of Seiad Valley the terrain through the Marble Mountains became more difficult with steep run-outs necessitating exhausting detours and a multitude of cautiously kicked steps.

After a particularly grueling stretch, I took off my backpack and flopped onto my back next to a small creek. As I was recovering, I glanced to my right and there leaning against a tree stood an intricately carved walking stick--Eric’s stick! Prominent among the carvings was a prophetic Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart."

“You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart."

Ken never saw Eric again.  With no address or contact information, it was impossible to return the walking stick to the Austrian. Del Granlund took the walking stick home with him intending to forward it to the PCTA.  Del's brother stored the stick in his garage and, as happens after trips, it was never sent.  Fortunately, as Ken tells me, Del's brother never throws anything away and was able to locate the walking stick and not long ago posted it to Ken. The photos of the much traveled walking stick are recent . . . and capture the sense of this loved walking stick.

For 34 years, Howard Shapiro, Jim Peacock, and I have been hiking the Pacific Crest Trail together.  Despite living at opposite ends of the country (Jim lives in Maine, Howard lives in Washington State, and I live in California), we have managed to arrange work schedules and family commitments in order to regularly get together on the PCT for a week or two of walking, catching up on our respective lives, and soaking in the deep peace that only the wilderness provides.

This year our plans to walk from Crabtree Meadows to Walker Pass together were derailed when, in the last pick-up hockey game of the season, Jim broke his ankle. “What is a 59-year old guy doing playing hockey”, you might ask. That, however, is another story.

Howard and I continued with plans to hike Section G.  In conversations with Jim, we agreed that at 7 a.m. (PDT) we would pause and think of Jim.  This process was aided when, a few days before Howard and I departed, ‘Flat Jimmy’ arrived in the mail. Jim, in turn, maintained an account of his thoughts at the appointed hour for each of the ten days we were on the trail.  This can be read via this link:

http://peak-careers.com/the-130-mile-backpacking-trip-i-am-not-on/

Rees, Flat Jim, and Howard at Cottonwood Pass

Flat Jim overlooking Beck Meadow at 7 a.m. on July 18th

The Reward for Walking 700 Miles I have been periodically checking in on the The Ravens as they progress north. On May 29th they reached Kennedy Meadows, more than 700 miles along their journey. Follow their story at https://theravens15.wordpress.com This is their report from the 29th . . .

Dreaming of hamburgers we got up an hour earlier than normal. The hiking was easy but it was hot. We had a short up, then miles of down. We did 8 miles before 10:00; that was really good for us. We then set out across Rockhouse Basin. About 3.5 miles more we got to the biggest river we have seen on the PCT, the South Fork of the Kern. Today has been the hottest day of our trip and coming upon such a sight was too tantalizing and inviting to pass up. There was only one thing we could do, everyone took off their shoes and went in. After seven days of sweat and dirt collecting on our bodies the cool water felt so good. We stayed for an hour before the call of hamburgers got too loud to ignore. With only 5 miles to go, we made it to the Kennedy Meadows store at 3:00.

Will and I were out in front. As we walked into the store parking lot, Little Bear greeted us with a can of soda, he then yelled that The Ravens are here. All the hikers (more than fifty) on the large patio yelled, clapped, and whistled for us as we walked up to the store. This is the standard greeting. Will and I went up onto the patio and waited for Joon and Ann to arrive. They got the same treatment. As the afternoon went on, we lazily sat with the other hikers eating hamburgers, chips drinking numerous sodas, talking and yes having ice cream. We each had a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. As hikes came in, we joined in the clapping and yelling celebration of congratulations.

Kennedy Meadows, represents a significant transition on the PCT. It delineates the end of the desert and chaparral and the beginning of the Sierra Nevada. We will stop having so many water problems. The daytime temperatures will be lower and we will be in trees more of the time. The hiking will not be easy, it gets harder. Our daily mileages will drop. We will have snow to contended with and major river crossings.

Reaching Kennedy Meadows is a major milestone for the hikers. To get there, you had to work really hard!!!  For many, probably the hardest thing they have ever done. Hiking Southern California is difficult with its extreme temperature variations and lack of water. It is more than a physical challenge but instead a mental problem. The harsh environment takes its toll on many would be thru-hikers bodies and souls. When we all began this adventure, we wonder to ourselves if we, as individuals, have what it takes to get to Kennedy Meadows. We even look at each other and silently wonder who will make or not. A few hikers have confided in us that when they saw us, a family of four with a nine year old and thirteen year old, they did not think we would make it very far. We have out lasted a lot of other hikers and we are at Kennedy Meadows along with many others that have persevered. The Ravens would like to congratulate everyone who have made it to Kennedy Meadows!

The Ravens with Houdini and Sobo