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The End of Desert Section (D-33 652 - 672.8; D-34 672.8 - 699)

The Kern Transit bus dropped me back at Walker Pass (the majority of the few passengers the bus has are hikers) by 9 am - a leisurely start - and I started hiking up a mountain. The above pic shows the Hwy 178 in the far left and the switchbacks that I had hiked up the mountain. The day was just a slog through the desert once again, with the second big climb coming in the second half - the hot half - of the day. It was a relief to reach the campsite, where a few people had already set up their stuff. But they were very welcoming and since most were cowboy camping, there was enough space for a lot of people. I also decided to cowboy camp as there was not much wind anyway.

A total of 9 people camped in the site.

Another of my creations for dinner: Ramen noodles mixed with veggie upma sprinkled with savory trail mix & cracked potato chips

Day 34 was much the same, except the climbs were a bit more gentler. The desert section of PCT was coming to an end.

This colorful snake was lazing on the trail for some time & then, it realized it was being photographed without it's consent and quickly slithered away. Wonder what this snake is?

The Sierra Nevada mountains are almost here!

And to announce the end of of the desert section, Kern River with plentiful water (so much water after so so long) shows up.

And my tent site was right next to the river, where it is a delight to soak my feet in.

Today's creation: Ramen noodles combined with sweet & savory poha garnished with potato chips & trail mix (much better tasting than the previous one 🙂)

Data:
Day 33
Day 34

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