Mile 702

Mile 702, the Kennedy Meadows General Store, is a major landmark for PCT hikers. It signals the end of the Southern California Desert and the beginning of the High Sierras. Reaching this spot also means we have hiked slightly more than one quarter of the trail.

This year has been exceptionally dry, and I have grown used to hiking 30 or more miles without encountering water.

However, ironically, there is a lot of fresh snow in the high sierras. There are many reports of hikers being turned back. As a result a few of us are skipping forward to Donner Pass and will hike north. I want to enjoy these mountains and I think it will  be better without snow and ice.