May 11, 2018
652.1-668.7
The next morning we took a bus back to Walker Pass. We saw Alias and several other hikers waiting at the trailhead to take the bus back into town. We were a little shocked by the cold that hit us as we stepped off the bus. Our days in Ridgecrest were blessed with a hot sun and roughly 80-90 degree weather. You could feel the heat wafting off the pavement like an open oven door. It was brutal when we first arrived with our packs on but walking around later in flip flops with no burdens, it was actually kind of nice. Up at the trailhead off the highway, it must have been in the high 40s or so, which is an excellent temperature for hiking but was shocking nonetheless. Ghosthiker immediately put on her wind jacket for some extra warmth.
The trail was beautiful but rough, and short, since we got kind of a late start after waiting for the bus. We were in camp by 4ish, a little early for us but Sparky and I were exhausted. We’d given ourselves 3 days to cover the 48 miles between Ridgecrest and Kennedy Meadows, so there was no rush. We’d agreed on 16 miles a day. Easy-peasy.
That day we passed the 660 mile mark. We officially had less than 2,000 miles to go! Crazy!!
Sarah Hikes 
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