Yesterday, we woke up bright and early so we could get to the town of Ridgecrest. It was mostly downhill and we were able to get to Walker Pass campground where someone had left a cache of donuts. There were lots of hikers there, some about to start hiking and others going to town.
We walked down to the road to hitchhike into Ridgecrest and soon got a ride. They weren’t going quite all the way to town, but they could get us close. The driver was an avid mountain climber and gave us some ideas for side trips In the Sierras. When she asked how far we had hiked that day, we said “Only 13 miles.” She responded “Only? It’s not even 10:30 in the morning.” She dropped us off on the side of the road and we got another ride from a trail angel in Ridgecrest who advised us not to drink the tap water. She dropped us off at Motel 6 and we got to work relaxing.
We went to Wal-Mart where I bought a new battery pack to keep my phone charged and we bought food for the next two days to Kennedy Meadows. I have a box of food being sent there; but I carried along a little extra for the Sierras too.
In the morning, we were able to take a bus back to Walker Pass and start our hike. We didn’t hit the trail until about 8:30 am, which is pretty late normally, but pretty good for coming out of town.
Today would have over 7000 feet of climbing and almost as much descending. The huge climbs rewarded us with stellar views and cool temperatures.
After the last big climb of the day we stopped to make dinner. We considered camping there but it was pretty cold, so we decided to push on. We hiked another 4 miles down into the valley hoping to get out of the wind. It took us until just after sunset, but it paid off with a beautiful campsite in a meadow.
It was a long day with over 30 miles of walking and over 7000 feet of climbing. It leaves us with just 21 miles to Kennedy Meadows and the official end of the desert.