Quite possibly the prettiest sunset yet, from my campsite at Grumpy Bear’s in Kennedy Meadows. There are still some rowdy hikers howling at Grumpy’s, but I am perfectly content to be laying in my tent surrounded by my trail family, dreaming of the adventure ahead. Hiked with: Pioneer, Bubblewrap, Swiss Bitch. Ben dip and moonshine.
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It was a cool and clear night, and the milky way swirled in the sky every time I looked up. It was mesmerizing and its beauty coupled with the cold and my excitement to get into Kennedy Meadows made it hard to sleep. We were all packed and ready to go before 6:30 and began our short trek into “town”.That’s a lot of miles.The terrain changed to rolling hills through a sagebrush meadow with mountains in the background on all side. Swiss Bitch hikes much faster than us, but Pioneer set a quick pace that got us to the turnoff to the general store in no time. We found Swiss Bitch on the side of the road waiting for us for directions and all set off toward the store together. We reached the iconic sign, had the obligatory photo shoot, and continued to the store where we were welcomed with a round of applause from the other hikers there.We got breakfast and then took a shuttle to Grumpy Bear’s Retreat where we found Techno Gazelle. He had been hiking with Downsize, but got shin splints so stayed behind to wait for us before heading into the Sierras. Fast and furious legacy part 1.
We shared stories then got our resupply boxes and tore into them. I received a few unexpected things that totally made my day, including photos from home, an mp3 played loaded with music and lots of yummy snacks. How many dirty, excited hikers can you fit in a shuttle van?We went back to the general store to wait for Bandaid and Jailbreak and proceeded to play telephone tag for hours with unreliable wifi and cell signal. Being without signal in the mountains is easy enough but it is incredibly frustrating in civilization. While I waited for them at Grumpy’s, I went next door to an outfitter, Triple Crown, that had basically anything a hiker could need. I got microspikes (a traction device) to avoid a repeat of my fall on Mt Baden-Powell and a lightweight base layer to add another layer of warmth.
Tomorrow we’ll need to go through everything and make sure we are prepared for the dangerous and breathtaking section ahead. Modeling my new base layer. New clothes are seriously special out here.Eventually we all ended up in the same place at the same time and caught up about our day and a half apart. The guys got some of their resupply boxes which included a lot of new gear for Jailbreak so he hopefully won’t freeze in the mountains. We set up our tents in a big flat area near Grumpy’s and relaxed, catching up and getting to know each other. The six of us had fun answering random silly questions (“If you could have a super power that only worked on trail, what would it be? Teleportation is off-limits.”) and devouring chips and salsa in the light of our headlamps.Quite possibly the prettiest sunset yet, from my campsite at Grumpy Bear’s in Kennedy MeadowsThere are still some rowdy hikers howling at Grumpy’s, but I am perfectly content to be laying in my tent surrounded by my trail family, dreaming of the adventure ahead.Miles: 6.1Hiked with: Pioneer, Bubblewrap, Swiss BitchCamped with: Bandaid, Jailbreak, Techno Gazelle, Pioneer, Bubblewrap, others at Grumpy Bear’s.
Published by GretchenI'm a plant-based animal loving outdoor enthusiast who is quitting her job to hike a whole bunch. I love to explore far from the beaten path and can often be found tromping around with my Doberman Ember, who happens to be the world's craziest hiking partner. I've spent up to ten days at a time on the trail and have hiked in many places including Scotland, Ecuador, and Colorado, and have completed the entire Pennsylvania section of the NCT. That being said, this PCT thru-hike will be by far my biggest adventure yet!Post navigation.
Kennedy Meadows is a portion of the Kern Plateau in the southern section of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in Tulare County, California. It is a mixture of private and public land surrounded by wilderness and national forest. It is 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.[2]
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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. The area was homesteaded in the latter part of the 1800s with family ranches.[2]
There are two well known businesses in the area. The Kennedy Meadows General Store is the world-famous destination of hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail which passes a few hundred yards from the store along the South Fork of the Kern River. The store holds large quantities of resupply boxes forwarded by the northbound thru-hikers. The other business is Grumpy Bears Retreat. The Kennedy Meadows Campground[3] is 3 miles to the north. Twenty minutes to the west in the beginning of the “high country” are Fish Creek and Troy Meadows Campgrounds.[4][5]
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This area is not to be confused with the other Kennedy Meadows in the Sonora Pass region of central California.
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Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kennedy_Meadows_(Tulare)&oldid=862377872'
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