Most of the day was spent running errands with jessica and Mowgly. Scotty hurt his calf so he decided he wasn't going to leave with us tonight. We went to the grocery store and grabbed some lunch at a cafe. I had to square away some business with Medi-Cal because I was having issues with my forwarding address. That took a good hour of my time.
Scotty was accosted by a gun toting redneck outside of the cafe where we had lunch. He was angry with Scotty because while Scotty was on the phone with his mom in Sweden, he unknowingly wandered into the mans yard. The man threatened to choke him out. I stepped in and told him to fuck off and that it was an honest mistake.
We headed back to the RV park to meet the rest of the crew and we packed out bags. Jessica and I said our goodbyes and hugged each other. She is worried about the next section of the trail and how remote I will be. The Sierra has a way of generating boogieman stories and illogical fears. Mostly cause of all the stories we hear from further up the trail about the snow and river ford conditions. I'm with a good group, and I think I'll be okay.
15 hikers walked to the bus stop in lake Isabella. It takes you directly to the trail head 40 miles away. It only runs twice a day 3 times a week. We barely fit in there with all of our gear. It was an hour ride to the trail. The driver drove like a maniac. It was exciting.
We started the next series of brutal climbs up several thousand vertical feet. Hiking deep into the night. I eventually was on my own as the group thinned and spread. Everyone goes at their own pace. My plan was to make it 12 miles in to the next water source and sleep there. I got to camp around 10 pm and rejoined with Mowgly, Speck, Spacejam, and Ten Gallon.
Making the climb out of Lake Isabella with Zorro and Viking
The moon was so damn bright and beautiful. This is probably my last night in the desert. After tonight, we will be more regularly above 7,000-8,000 feet before we hit Kennedy Meadows. I should be there in 2 days if all goes well.
The desert will not be missed