Thursday July 29, 2021
Start: single campsite by small trickle
End: campsite just beyond Kern River
Miles: 28.3
Gain/Loss: 7864’/7638′
I was awake at 5am, after an okay night of sleep. People had commented about seeing bears nearby so I was very nervous every time I heard something. I didn’t see anyone on trail yesterday or today, so it’s been a bit eery.
I spent the day pushing forward, focused on water. Water was perhaps 10-15 miles apart today, though a few places that had water 2 weeks ago are dry now. This has made me very on edge, since I never know if water will be where it’s supposed to be and it was very hot between 10am-3pm.
A thunderstorm came in around 3:30-4pm, and dumped a little bit of rain on me. It soaked my clothes and made me a little cold until the sun came out again.
I ended up going quite a bit further than I’d planned, but I was having trouble stopping. I’m definitely dehydrated, despite drinking more than 8 liters of water today. The river where I was planning to end (and is supposed to be reliable) was dry. Luckily, I’ve become more cautious and so I had 1.5 liters with me, which should be enough to get me to Kennedy Meadows tomorrow morning.
Transcending Mountains 