Kennedy Meadows, CA. Mile 702.

Left Onyx,  CA at 1130. Started off right away with 7 miles uphill or really upmountain. Then all the way back down to just climb back up. All the hikers I consulted with agreed that this stretch was very difficult. It is likely that the difficulty has increased due to higher elevations.  *Sigh* 17 miles completed that day. 

Got up early to beat the heat.  No matter out efforts,  we had to hide out for an hour or two. Despite Ragnar's sore paws, the heat, and my feeling of low on energy, we made it 24 miles by 2000. Always thankful to not have to night hike or set up camp in the dark.

This beauty is a pink thistle.  I was blessed by catching a bee in the blossom. 

Presumably one of the last blooming beavertail cactus I will encounter on my hike. The following is a little link to some interesting info about this cacti: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_basilaris

Valley Carpenter Bee. The picture might not do justice to how big the bee was.  He was at least one in in length and as thick as my thumb. 

The first running water that wasn't just a trickle. It might be foreshadowing for all the rivers to come.  

This is it! We made it through the dessert and more than  one fourth done. It feels so good; still in disbelief that we have walked 700 miles.  We end in Kennedy Meadows and enjoy a giant breakfast and some rest waiting for Cathy to pick us up. 

The following quote really sums up my concluding feeling about this section: Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.

-Calvin Coolidge