Day 35 – Wednesday, June 28

PCT Mile 572.9 to 596.5
Day Total: 23.6 Miles

We started the day with the same wind that tossed us around the night before.

I wore my rain pants and Kelly wore her rain jacket to stay comfortable for the first half hour of hiking. We made it a good way longer than an hour before we needed to stop for breakfast.

I suppose we still had some residual food stores from our day in town.

We ran into 3G and OT Panda when we stopped for breakfast and they warned us of the fire ants. We scoped out the ground for a good place to sit and got into our Snickers and honey buns. The warning about fire ants was warranted – I got a nasty bite while I was applying sunscreen and then another a few steps down the trail.

Our next destination was Golden Oaks Spring.

We met back up with 3G and OT Panda at water and had a nice break. Water was a concern for the stretch between Tehachapi and Kennedy Meadows, so we made a point to drink  until we couldn't take another sip when we were at a water source.

The hiking was pleasant all day. We stayed in the trees and had gentle climbs and descents. We saw several easement markers along the way telling us that we were on private land and we needed to stay within 10 feet of the trail on either side.

We camped at Hamp Williams Pass under some big beautiful trees. (SM)

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PS: As you may have noticed, postings are becoming sporadic. Cell service has been nonexistent and will be spotty at best for the next several hundred miles. This posting and the next handful were sent on July 9 from the 14,505-foot top of Mount Whitney (at about the 765-mile mark). There will be postings for a few days and then not again until cell service can be accessed further up the trail.