With over 4000 feet in elevation gain, climbing to high altitude, I knew I would be asking a lot of my body. I decided, then, to force myself to stay in bed until 7:30. I couldn't sleep, but I was able to rest, stretch my knotted leg muscles, and let the rising sun warm my tired body. I also ate one of the two mega-calorie rice crispy treats before setting off.
The first half of the day, from 6200 feet up to 8000 was surprisingly easy. The trail ran along the south fork of the Kern for several miles before branching off to climb the Kern Plateau up to Beck Meadow. The trail left the shade of the Sequoias growing by the river, but soon bordered a small creek choked with willow and wild rose. The grade was gentle, which was perfect for me as I do well on slight uphill. I have found that by making minor adjustments to my stride I can alternate which leg muscles get used most. This allows me to do active recovery by letting some muscles rest while others are working. In this way I was able to hike the 11.5 miles uphill without needing a rest.
Once in the meadow (pictured) I soon rejoined the Kern River. There is a bridge over the river, where I stopped for lunch. The metal of the bridge, built in 1986, was specially treated to looked old and rusted. The idea was to make it blend with the landscape, which it does nicely. The bridge is also home to hundreds of cliff swallows, who raise their young in mud nests beneath the support beams (pictured). I stood ten feet away, as still as possible, and soon the birds had forgotten about me and continued zooming about their business.
The second half of the day was tough. I followed Cow Creek out of the meadow and up to 9000 feet. Here the trail has been destroyed by cattle, leaving an ugly brown swath of erosion sliding down to the creek. The erosion made hiking tough, especially since elevation was starting to take its toll. The mountain seemed to rise forever, finally reaching a saddle below Olancha Peak. The saddle, set amongst foxtail pines, is at 10,500+ feet, making it the highest part of the trail to date (a record that won't even last a day). I reclined with as much grace and dignity as my recent exertions would allow (pictured) and enjoyed the view (pictured).
The trail then descended through meadows that were soaked in late afternoon sun and filled with bird song. One in particular caught my attention. It sounded like a tennis ball on a string being swung rapidly in circles. Kind of a whoop whoop whoop sound. I also saw lots of bear scat, filled with bush currant berries. I had been seeing this all day, sometimes alarmingly fresh, but no bear sightings.
Finally, after 25.5 miles, I reached Gomez Meadow, and the adjacent Death Canyon Creek where I am now camped. I am writing this entry while listening to an owl in the nearby meadow, and watching the stars make their appearance. It was a hard day, but now I have some well earned peace.
