Hello all, Joy here. It’s been a quiet week for me,,, not sure about Ron and Kendra, lol. My first communication from them all this week came yesterday and it was from the gps device, so these are normally short and sweet requests. They were asking for a reservation for a cabin in Kennedy Meadows North (KMN), with their expected arrival day to be this Sunday. Unfortunately, there were none available, so they will have to camp, but they do have a laundry and shower facility available. KMN is a very small, mountainous resort that offers some cabins, camp sites, horseback riding and guided hikes and a camp store. I found it surprising that they have a very nice restaurant onsite, which will be a treat for the hikers.
At KMN, this is the end of the area where they are required to carry a bear canister, so they will definitely be turning their canisters into the outfitter there. These canisters look like a bucket with a screw-top, so they don’t pack well and don’t condense at all. They have some weight to them, as well, but I’m not sure how much. Ron was able to get his canister into his backpack. Kendra had to strap her’s onto the back and top of her backpack, so she said she is ready to get rid of it.
Tomorrow (Saturday) will be an exciting day — the hikers will cross the 1,000 mile marker…. WHOOP-WHOOP! They probably will have to wait until Sunday to celebrate with a drink and a really nice meal, in KMN, but I cannot image 1,000 miles! They are doing great!!!
Last Saturday, I did get to FaceTime both of them when they were in a motel. I know they got to eat lunch in the town and do grocery shopping, while they were waiting for their motel room to become available. Once they got their room, they got showers and laundry done. It was supper time and Kendra said she was too tired to go out, so I heard she went to bed at 8:30pm and Ron ordered a take out pizza and ate in the room. And Sunday, they were both rested and went back on the trail around mid-morning.
They did mention that the mosquitoes are getting really bad. They wear a net over their heads and with their long pants, long sleeves and gloves, they are pretty protected. They picked up some Permathrin, which is a bug repellent for clothes and gear, and was trying it out on their clothes. Kendra actually has a mosquitoe mesh outfit, that she received as a Christmas gift from Cody’s parents, and she asked me to send this to her, as well as a big bottle of Permathrin that she has here, too. If Permathrin doesn’t work, they may need to go to Deet or deal with the misquitoes. (Being the chemical engineer that Ron is, we never bought Deet and he didn’t want to put it on the girls when they were young.) So, we’ll see who wins out on the mosquitoes war!
After Kenney Meadows, their next stop will be Lake Tahoe. This is a major-major town and they plan on taking a zero day here to rest and take in the town. We’ve never been to Lake Tahoe, so it will be a treat for both of them!
That’s all for now — everyone have an enjoyable weekend!!
Thanks for the update, Joy!! We are enjoying following along here at StreamKey!
Hey Brian, Joy here. Thank you and the entire StreamKey crew for following along. This hike is so different than the AT, where he had cell coverage almost everywhere. It’s odd not hearing from them in days, but I do get the gps notifications, so I know when they are ‘on the move’. We’ll have to share with Mike that Ron bought that gps device with his retirement gift from StreamKey, and it’s proved to be the most valuable gear they have!
‘If’ anyone would like to join them for a few days, I know they would welcome the company! Not sure you can talk Mike into again…I think he broke his own dress code rule at work and had to wear flip-flops for a week, afterwards :).
Myself and Kendra’s boyfriend are actually going to catch up with them in mid-July, so we’ll force them to take 2 or 3 zero days and eat out a lot, which they both need. I may try to take them shopping for new clothes,,, I hear they are getting tears and they are filthy, so they certainly are overdue to be replaced. But as you all know, Ron McAdams doesn’t get rid of clothes if they still fit!!
It’s great hearing from you and we sure do miss seeing everyone from StreamKey!
Hi Brian- Bucket here- thank you for following our trek! We appreciate the comments.
Hello I have been hearing some good news about the trail and reaching that 1000 mile mark. That is wonderful. Have you ever thought about one person made all of the nature beauty, mountains. totally magnificent. I’ve been working in my barn yard ,thats what I call it. As always we miss you two but so Happy for you. Prayers are always being said . Got to9 go LOVE YOU and always remember that