Day 38: Tuesday, June 11

Cowboying behind Kennedy Meadows General Store (PCT mi 702.2), walked 11.2 miles today

Woke up at 6:15 without an alarm (people who know me IRL won't believe that this happens regularly to me now), got going by 7. Made it to the Kern River, the first actual river on the whole PCT, by 9, and washed myself and all my clothes in it to look fresh for Kennedy Meadows. Before that river, I had felt dirtier than I ever had in my life, having come 6 days uninterrupted from Mojave with basically no sources of natural water to clean myself off in, and my shirt especially I could barely stand to wear anymore. Got into KM at about 11:30 to find, among many many others, Bow, Gavin (from day 2), and Matan (from Idyllwild and also day 1) hanging out on the porch. They had been around KM for varying amounts of time. Suggested to them that we hike out together tomorrow, as a bunch of dudes who all started May 5. We could call ourselves Cinco de Hiko or some lame shit. They were amenable, but the deal was only really sealed with a few six-packs of something called Lobotomy Bock, which appeared to be the official drink of the KM porch.

Big deal for the day was when I overheard a girl introducing herself to Guino (who has been here for 5 days, apparently) as Myla. Her voice sounded familiar, then I saw what she looked like and realized she was Myla Fay from Carleton, whom I actually knew vaguely when I was there. People who didn't go to a tiny school in the middle of Minnesota don't realize how exciting this is to run into someone you know from there, out on the PCT of all places. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting rather drunk together, catching up on mutual acquaintances, and taking pictures to send to the Carleton alumni mag, which will probably not get printed due to the high prevalence of beer cans. Ate a tri-tip steak dinner offered by the Kennedy Meadows Grill for dinner, then played king's cup with a whole passel of hikers afterward. Am going to bed a bit pissed, as the Brits would say. Hiking out tomorrow. Tally ho.