Hello, Joy here. Ron and Kendra made it to the VVR (Vermillion Valley Resort), last night. This is at mile marker 878, so they are still doing great. The VVR has some cabins and yurts to rent, but they were booked, so Kendra and Ron would have to tent it on the property, which they allow for the PCT hikers. This place if very remote and is powered by a generator, so no cell phone service here. They had a resupply package to pick up here, and the place does have a small campground store, and a restaurant too. And they have a shower and laundry facility available for hikers as well.
I don’t know if you heard this on the news, but CA is really getting blasted with a heat wave. Hikers in the desert are having a bad time and many rescues are occurring. Hikers are being told to get off of the trail and find a town to stay in. Ron and Kendra are in the mountains, so I ‘think’ they are being spared by the heat. I sent the Garmin a msg last night, asking them this, but Ron had already turned it off for the night. He should get the message this morning. I’m eager to get his response! Please say a prayer for these hikers in the desert…..
To get to the VVR, you first come to a big lake. There is a ferry service to transport people from this point to the other side of the lake. Unfortunately, due to the drought conditions and the low water level in the lake, the ferry service is not running. So, the hikers had to walk on a side trail around the lake, which added another 4.5 miles for them, yesterday. Of course, they will do the same thing to get back to the PCT today. This is unfortunate.
That’s all I got for now, as communication this week has been very, very sparse. They should get into a town on Monday, or maybe even Sunday night. Have a great day!!
EDIT*** I got a response from Ron on the Garmin. He said it’s hot but they are in the mountains so temperatures are not that bad. Unlike the last two weeks, when they were wearing 3 layers of clothing at night, he said they are not having that problem right now. That is good!
They are also going to get into a town tomorrow afternoon (late), hopefully. It’s called Mammoth Lakes. I booked them a Motel 6 for just one night. Then, on Monday or Tuesday, they will reach an area that has a post office, where they have a resupply box waiting for them. This place only has camping facilities available for hikers, so not really a town, lol.