Song of the post – “Stuck in the middle with you” by Stealers Wheel
The next few days of hiking will take us to Walker Pass. We leave the desert floor, and head into desert mountains. A lot of elevation gain and loss, and increased heat.
Some more milestones are achieved.
This one was fun to come across, and the Europeans really appreciated it.
Water in this stretch wasn’t always guaranteed, meaning many natural sources were exhausted by now. These water caches were essential, and often impressive in size. Thank you again, trail angels.
Overall, this was a section you wanted to get through as quick as possible.
Occasionally something interesting would elevate the scenery.
From Walker Pass you have some options.
- If you have supplies you can keep hiking. Kennedy Meadows is about two days North. Remember, KM is the end of the desert, sorta.
- From the pass you can head west to Lake Isabella to resupply.
- From the pass you can head east to Ridgecrest to resupply.
It seems that most hikers do get off trail to re-supply. After 4-5 days of hiking you need a break. The pass is about 20 miles from both communities. If it’s a weekday you can possibly catch a regional bus. Thank you Kern County Transit
You can also hitch or reach out to regional trail angels for a ride. Cliff did that, and got support from a trail angel organizer named Pancake.
We resupplied in Ridgecrest. Next stop Kennedy Meadows, mile 702, end of the desert, and the beginning of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
