PCT Map Miles 703.4
Miles Hiked 643.2
Elevation 6,306 feet
Miles Hiked Today 8.7
July 31, 2023
Today, I reach the symbolic end of my desert hike, Kennedy Meadows. That’s kind of a joke to me. I saw cactus on the side of the trail as I was hiking this morning. Anyway, it has always been my primary goal to hike the 700 miles to this famous link between the desert and the high Sierra.
Fortunately, there were no big climbs from my previous night’s campsite at Manter Creek. On the other hand, the trail was mostly sand, and it was like trying to walk on a beach. Very frustrating. My hike kept me going in and out of stands of trees but nothing forest like.
Late morning, Kennedy Meadows came into view. It is literally a large meadow with few trees. Once in the meadow, I continued on to the community of Kennedy Meadows.
Directions on how to get to the community were not very clear in my navigation app, so I actually missed the turn off. Luckily, I realized it and backtracked. I met a group of international hikers on their way to Mount Whitney who had just come from the Kennedy Meadows General Store. They pointed me in the right direction.
It was almost a mile hike to the general store, which is where I planned to stop for the day. When I reached it, the first thing I did was grab a Gatorade and sit down. Finally, I’m here.
