Arriving in Kennedy Meadows South marks the end of the desert section. It’s a huge milestone on the PCT, at 700 miles or 1160 km, everyone is ready to leave the desert behind and enter the High Sierra. I camped 8.7 miles, 14 km from the road junction and arrived in town about 1 pm.

When I woke up this morning, I was excited to finish the desert and hit a major milestone. The morning air was slightly cold, reminding me that there are some real mountains nearby. Other people around me were still asleep, so I made breakfast before packing up. By the time I was ready to leave, I still wasn’t the last one at camp, which is always nice.

I followed a wide valley north towards Kennedy Meadows, and to my left I saw huge rock formations catching the morning light. The trail alternates between hot desert sand, to shaded pinyon pine forests, as if the forest was fighting to take over the desert.

After an exposed desert section, I reached the Kern River at a picturesque swimming hole. This is the third opportunity for a dip on the trail, and well worth the 700 mile walk to get there.

The trail passed through more pine forest, then dropped into a hot and wide valley, with a lot of green growth. A confusing environment, half desert, half forest, and a third half, mountain meadow. There were even cacti flowering under the pine trees here.

All of a sudden, I found myself on the road to Kennedy Meadows. The desert was officially done. A trail angel was dropping a hiker off at trail and saw me coming up the trail. She said that she would offer me a ride, but figured I’d probably rather walk the last mile, she was right.

A mile from the trail head is the Kennedy Meadows General Store, they have food, cold drinks, resupply and a large balcony overlooking the road. As I rounded the corner and the general store came into sight, everyone on the balcony erupted in applause, with cheers, and ringing cowbells too. This is the tradition at Kennedy Meadows, and it’s why most hikers won’t take a ride from the trailhead. We all celebrate with each other the huge achievement of making it through the desert, and to the gateway into Sierra.