Day 38 (6/24) I Just Couldn’t Escape

Soooo... the plan was to get out this evening. Once again, when you’re in town, its easy to get distracted and draw things out. I started packing the bear canister, and it was evident that all my food would never fit into it. I wanted to do the full 190 miles to Vermillion Valley Resort. The other option was to hop out at 40 miles to Lone Pine or at 90 miles to Independence, but in both cases it is a long hitch, and I’d like to avoid that if possible. On the other hand, this was a TON of food. Literally, it felt like a massive brick. I threw it on the scale and it clocked in at an impressive 36 pounds including the bear canister. Ouch. Well, 11 days of food, 3 lbs a day, that’ll do it. As I started packing up, I realized the bear can would be nearly impossible to fit into my pack without some serious reorganization. I had to put the sleeping bag at the bottom, with the bear can vertically on top. This left no room for my tent, so that was strapped under the hood of the pack, hanging out each side. Passable, but definitely stuffed. I weighed my pack, minus a few things, and it clocked in at 62 lbs. Thats terrible, and close to the max I’ve ever carried. Plus, this pack is rated for something like 35-40 lbs, so I have to be slightly concerned about how well it will sit and make sure I don’t blow out the seams or stitching. The heat kept building, and I retreated to the internet cafe to catch up on some journals (yeah, I’ve been a bit behind lately). I thought about getting out in the late afternoon, but fate decided to intervene. When I went over to the store to close out my tab, I found out it was happy hour, and there was a good bit of free beer courtesy of other hikers and the locals. I was sucked in. The store also had some finger food and chicken for free, and that was the nail in the coffin. I guess I’ll hike out in the morning. Theres nothing like hanging out for a few hours with newfound friends, drinking beer, and talking trail. I absolutely love the community you find out here, because you all share this common goal, and instantly can relate to each other and develop a close relationship. One more movie tonight, then I slipped off to bed in one of the trailers, promising myself an early start...

Miles Today: 0
Trip Mileage: 702

Photo: Kennedy Meadows - Tom's Internet Cafe