PCT – Page 8 – Russell on the Road

Day 4: Kennedy Meadows

Having walked over 50 miles in a period of three days, I was more than happy to spend the majority of the day resting and scarfing down hot food in Kennedy Meadows, the final trail “town” before heading into the remote wilderness of the High Sierra. Due to high snow levels in the mountains, even in late June the place was still relatively full of hikers. After a massive pancake breakfast (complete with fruit and M&Ms) I pitched my tent behind the local general store, took a rudimentary shower, and collected the food supplies from the box I had previously shipped to myself. A juicy burger and several beers later, I had a great time meeting people, watching the women’s world cup and just generally hanging out.

In the evening the store set up a projector for an outdoor screening of “The Princess Bride”, only half of which I managed to stay awake for before passing out at 9pm (aka hiker midnight). Unfortunately my ambitions for a good night’s rest were thwarted as the party continued long into the night, culminating in the breakout of a fistfight at 4am. Everyone eventually calmed down and went to bed, and I managed to sleep for a couple hours before the rising sun called me back to the trail.

Day 3: Chimney Creek to Kern River

As I was sipping some tea and making breakfast at the creek (where I forgot my lightweight titanium cup, a mistake that would leave me cupless for the rest of the trek) I met two more hikers: Bubblewrap and Pioneer, from the UK and South Africa, respectively. They invited me to share breakfast at a nearby campsite with picnic tables, striking a friendship that would continue as we crossed paths throughout the rest of the California section of the trail.

Pioneer and Bubblewrap wisely chose to wait out the afternoon heat under the shade of a jury-rigged tarp, but lacking a tarp of my own and with the few trees rather stumpy or burned and dead, I pushed on through the stifling heat to the next water source. The intense sun combined with attacks by biting flies every time I tried to take shelter next to a tiny bush forced me to continue, but I was eventually rewarded with an amazing rest break at a beautiful little oasis where the trail crossed Manter Creek. After drinking my fill at a small waterfall flowing into a grass-filled pool, my spirits lifted and the next few miles to the Kern River passed quickly.

I spent the evening quenching my thirsty feet in the cool river and watching the shadows slowly lengthen as the sun disappeared behind the cliffs to the west.

Day 2: Mt Jenkins to Chimney Creek

While I missed the majority of the desert section of the PCT by starting at Walker Pass, my few days spent trekking among cactus and joshua trees on the way to Kennedy Meadows gave a glimpse of the awesome beauty that this region can offer. Luckily, my timing coincided with the blooming of these prickly pear cacti, which lined the trail for much of my second day.

I also met my first fellow thru-hiker, trail name Diesel, while filtering water at a small stream surrounded by bees. We chatted while the insects hovered around us and kept flying annoyingly close, and continued to jump past each other on the trail through the afternoon as I attempted to make up for my late start the previous day.

To my surprise, toward evening the desert flora suddenly gave way to pine forest as I crossed over a ridge. The stark difference between the southern and northern flanks of mountains would be a continuous theme on my journey along the trail.

Day 1: Walker Pass to Mt Jenkins

I got off to a late start after waiting out the midday desert heat in an air-conditioned burger joint in the tiny town of Inyokern, just a few miles east of the trail in southern California. Climbing up to the ridgeline from the highway beneath circling vultures, I was soon rewarded with expansive views of the arid Indian Wells Valley to the east. As the sun began its slow descent westward, the mountains took on pink, purple, and bluish hues. I spent a windy, sleepless night up on that ridge on the side of Mt Jenkins, but the striking sunset and then early morning sunrise over the mountains made it well worth it.

100 Days on the PCT

Hello everyone! It has been quite a while since I’ve updated this site (almost three years in fact), and a lot has happened in that time. I was waylaid on the Black Sea trek and decided to hike the Lycian Way on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast instead, which ended up being an incredible experience. I moved to Seattle and got a master’s degree. I trekked 1,800 miles of the 2,600-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail. And finally, I got a job at Stanford (my alma mater) and moved back down to the Bay Area in February.

Since I am now spending much (read: all) of my time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have decided to get back into writing. I hope to continue my travel blog posts on experiences in Turkey and elsewhere, but I will also try out some different formats as I get my very rusty writing chops back into shape. In that spirit, today I was inspired to begin a series of photos with commentary, one from each of my days on the PCT. Enjoy!

Today’s photo is from my starting point at trail mile 652 (south to north), Walker Pass.