June 4, day 67, km 1,049
Distance to Kennedy Meadows, gateway to the Sierra: 81 km
After breakfast we decided to wait until the following day to take the bus from Ridgecreast to Ashland, Oregon, a 20-minute drive. Beforehand, we wanted to try to meet with Mike, who arrives in Kennedy Meadows today, where his mother will pick him up: he's taking a break from the PCT to spend two weeks' vacation with his family. We want to interview him beforehand. Problem was, there's no Internet up there and we didn't know precisely when he'd be arriving or when his mother would pick him up. We also didn't know if he'd pass by Ridgecrest on his way out of Kennedy Meadows. So we decided to risk it and drive to Kennedy Meadows; there was a good chance several other hikers we'd interviewed might be there now. Aside from that, we were eager to capture the special atmosphere there at this time – which Meagan confirmed – on camera. It may also mean seeing some of the hikers we've repeatedly encountered over the last weeks for the very last time.
Just as we were about to order an Uber, we met up with the two German guys Marcel and Jannis at the Maturango Museum (a natural history museum, preglyphs; replicas may be seen in the park), who had departed the Casa de Luna the same time we had and whom we interviewed in the German bakery in Tehatchapi whilst imbibing a "Hofbräu Dunkel." They'd just finished resupplying in Ridgecrest. In the shade of palm trees we shared our plans for the Sierra. The two of them plan to hike from Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows and then decide what to do. After the interview, we ordered an Uber, and driver Matthew (wearing a tee-shirt that read, in German, “Another beer, please” on the front and “Oktoberfest” on the back) drove us to Kennedy Meadows, about an hour-long trip ($59).
Upon arrival, we found out Mike had just been picked up by his mom and dad. Nevertheless, we met up with and interviewed many of our other wayfarers: e.g., Matt, Mountain Lion (Stefan from Switzerland), and Filipe. This was also useful because we got valuable tips regarding the difficulties to be expected in the Sierra. We also met Mary and Charly Brown, of 2 Foot Adventures, again; they'd driven their outdoor gear trailer from Warner Springs to Kennedy Meadows. Mary recommended first hiking the section from Walker Pass via Kennedy Meadows to Lone Pine (little snow and extremely dry in the summer), then continuing northbound from Chester (at the end of the Sierra), since Oregon and Washington State still have a lot of snow. Our problem, however, is that we sent some important stuff to Ashland, which we have to pick up at the PO. Including our new SD card and backup system.
Meantime, we'd come to the conclusion we needed a second tent, affording each of us a modicum of independence in the evenings. We took advantage of the opportunity and purchased a Six Moon Design tarp tent from Mary and Charly Brown (Lunar solo for 200 Dollar). This will allow Olli to call it a day earlier in the evening, while Sabine can continue hiking. Olli will catch up next morning, since he's an early bird. To sweeten the wait, we treated our driver Matthew with a beer (!). We bought a six-pack: Matthew throughly enjoyed recommending and selecting the beer types. Apropos Sierra:
We're sticking with our plan of driving to Ashland and deferring the decision about whether we'll head north (more snow) or south (a bit less snow). Matthew then took us back to Ridgecrest, where we had a meal at Kristy's.
Note from Sabine: It's weird to establish this independence after 23 years of marriage.
Pictures