4 June - Day 45 - The marathon sprint to KM

Ridge top (Mile 672.7) to Kennedy Meadows (Mile 702.2)

Total Trail Miles hiked today: 29.5
Total miles today: 30

Up at 4.30 am, and hiking as the light first began behind the horizon line.Gorgeous hiking today!

Water was not a problem -- but we were racing against the closing hours of the KM General Store since we were out of food. Even Sean's food had dwindled to a little peanut butter and a tortilla or two.

We moved along briskly -- and it was sunny and warm -- but a breeze kept it from becoming oppressive. The water was always delicious, and we were happy to see those sources. Rubylocks was with us during about half the day, and we had a happy time chatting about New Zealand and world travels. It made the time fly.

Dionysus and our lunch break landscape. Hot! Photo courtesy of 3Bears.

Dionysus and Rubylocks having a bit of lunch. Photo courtesy of 3Bears.

About 4pm, just an hour before closing time, Sidekick (Sean) and Rubylocks waved and me and Dionysus on since our pace was the fastest -- and they asked us to get into the store before it closed. So the two of us hoofed it -- me having eaten just breakfast and a little cookie at lunch (no calories in me much). We drank water and goose-stepped as fast as we could, cranking up our pace to 4 mph. And when 5pm came along, and we still weren't at KM, we kept on going -- just in case the doors stayed open a bit longer.

We stumbled into the store at 5:30, a half hour after they were supposed to close, but just hadn't managed to lock the doors yet. I got groceries (sandwich fixings, ice cream, chips & salsa) and two sixpacks of lager from them, and the cook whipped up some pizza and salads, and when Rubylocks and Sidekick arrived, we ate and rested. Rubylocks's trail buddy, Calf, had gotten her groceries and beer, too, and he came down from where he was camped to greet us.

What a relief! Kennedy Meadows at last.

We got set up at Tom's -- a great guy whose place is a collection of vintage travel trailers, picnic tables, other random furniture scattered about, bric-a-brac, and tent clearings in a compound of pinyon pines. We set up our tents and fell into exhausted sleep right next to a makeshift mini-amphitheater Tom has fashioned of hillside and abandoned furniture. We put in our earplugs and didn't even hear "Men in Black" blow up the aliens. Again.