Rising out of the Mojave the mountains of the Sierras extend like a carpet of ridges and ranges. We get our first view of what John Muir called the "Range of Light" atop the Plateau of Kaivah Wilderness. Here the Stark views of the Mojave and So Cal to the South and the Sierras to the north give a man a feeling of wonder... California is a place of so many environments, that you could not possibly imagine that they are in one state... And the locals, point out, which they would like to, split it up. But for this hiker, the ability to traverse from the Southern California Mountains, to the High Desert of the Mojave, and finally the Grand High Sierras, is one of inspiration to tired worn feet. When we say the granite face of Mt Whitney rising off on the horizon, getting closer with each ridgeline, it seemed like my momentum on the trail keep growing., 18 mpd turned into 23-24 mpd as we got closer to Kennedy Meadows. And the desert Joshua Trees were replaced by stands of Pinyon and Coulter pine groves, with one Ponderosa Grove of Lander Meadows taking us in for an evening with Honeydew Melons waiting in a spring (left by Trail Angels the day before.) Spirits are high indeed.
Yesterday we rolled into Kennedy Meadows, following the cooling waters of the South Fork Kern River. This is a special place. It signifies the end of one hike and the beginning of another. From here on out there desert is behind us. But more importantly, this is 1/4th the trail and Milepost 703. Here the hikers all collect on the famous "Porch." Tucked away in a Pinyon Pine grove overlooking the Meadow that the Kern River flows thru, it is a heaven for hikers. It is easy to spend Zero day after Zero day here, everything you could want is within a few yards. From a Burger stand, a spotty Internet Café, to a Movie Theater at night selling popcorn to boot, hikers settle in to a state of suspended animation as the other wary travelers come in and join the "Porch-life." Some make the motion to leave the porch, paying off three day old tabs of Beer, burgers, and resupply items. For them, Olache Peak and Monache Meadows await just down the trail. For us, last night's happy hour seemed to be the perfect community feel of a group of souls, transient in nature at one place, sharing their stories. In the end, it was a great evening; we'll likely have another one tonight before making it "off the Porch" and into the Sierra high country.
Lately, our travels have been drawn to the different Biota that we see along the way. A book by John M Laws, Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada's has been our guide so far. From identifying different plants, insects and birds, the Naturalist within seems to be coming out. It is one thing to learn from books about the natural world, how things operate and are classified. But it is quite another to take the time to observe and watch things in their environments. The difference in the Desert and the Mountains always amaze me. Each organism finding their own way to turn disadvantage into advantage. Plants seem the most adapt to this, creating a mired of varieties just to catch one pollination method over another. The desert produces the most variety, while the mountains give many different levels of variety. The same genus can be different from the desert to the mountains. But to just watch as nature plays out, wither it be watching a dung beetle attack a locus, or how the sphinx moth imitates a hummingbird to capture extra nectar, in the field is the Naturalists domain. It seems to draw me forward each day, giving meaning to my walk as I fill field notebooks with observations. Maybe they are already known by others and science, but it is discoveries for me, enough to fill a lifetime.
-- Ridgewalker (Jorj)
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