Saturday: (04/16) I was up at 0600 and on trail at 0710. Nice morning, no wind and warmer. The car camper got up as i was leaving. He’s goal was a day hike up to the peak on the same trail I was headed up.
He passed me at my rest stop 2.5 miles up. I met more hikers today than any other day these past couple of weeks. I also met “Lux” who passed me at my rest stop. Further up the trail I met Runaway who started at mexico on 3/18. He is part of a group of five that started individually but have been hiking together as a group much of the way. “Woody” said they were doing 26 mile days. I stopped for lunch and “Woody” and “Runaway” passed me. I had passed them without noticing them. The rest of the group of five also passed me at lunch. “Viking” from Norway, Marina from Menlo Park, “Bison” a section hiker and her dog Tiger trailname “Clint Eastwood”, the silver fox. She was a friend of “Vikings” and doing from Jawbone Road to Walker Basin (Hwy 178). “Skywaker” from Sweden was the last of the five (six).
Near the top of today’s hike I met Holly and “Asterisk” to Southbound flip hikers who were blocked by a snow storm at Cajon Pass like I was last year so just went up to Kennedy Meadows and started South back to Cajon Pass.
I arrived at Highway 178, Walker Basin MM652, at 1845. I had texted Lou at the top of the mountain saying I’d be here by 1900. She drove up about 10 minutes later. It was a long winding road back to Bakersfield. I changed clothes and we went out to Milt’s Diner for dinner. Thinking about their deep pit BBQ dinner helped me make today’s 22 mile section. When I got home the long shower was welcome, not just by me.
This finishes this 85 mile section of the hike. Just 52 more miles to do. I’m thinking of doing a flip, my first, and starting at Kennedy Meadows and hiking back to Highway 178. That should make Lou’s picking me up easier on Thursday next week. We need to depart toward home Friday.
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