5 miles
Casual morning, on trail around 7:30. Passed by some ski lifts and had a great view of Mt. Baden-Powell. We’re planning to hitch around the fire closure, which includes skipping the mountain, but that’s okay. We had packed microspikes all the way from the border because Mt. San Jacinto and Mt. Baden-Powell are known to hold snow late into the season and have some sketchy parts that could require traction. With this being a drought year, we haven’t had that issue so we’ll bounce our spikes ahead to Kennedy Meadows. Cruised the 5 miles to the highway where we met up with Flying, Snowflake, and Bill Nye. They had a reservation at the “spa”, which includes a free shuttle. We were able to get in on their ride and made it into town by 10:30. Got breakfast at the Grizzly Cafe and then waited for the brewery to open. Had beers at Wrightwood Brew Company, grabbed our bounce box and surprise package from the post office, saw Jim, Sophie, Sam, Pricepoint, and Honeybear at Bigfoot Bowls. Caught up with them and discussed the fire/road closure. Checked in at Mt. View Cabins and opened our shipments. So many delicious snacks and socks and extra plastic bags! Such a treat for hungry hikers, and the socks were just in time because I had to toss a pair because of how many holes I had worn in them. Thank you so much to Jim and Missy!
PCT Hike 