July 12
Manter Creek (693) – Kennedy Meadows (702)
I saw a rattlesnake this morning, not at my tentsite but not long after I started walking. It was stretched out parallel to the trail doing snakey things. I took a picture and then huge stepped around as far to the left as I could get. The snake back-slithered into the open crevice between two rocks. It watched me walk by from the doorway of its snake house. 
The anticipation of town, and restaurant, and seeing my parents had me rushing down the path. The sky was unusually cloudy, with a few water soaked fatties floating around. More thunderstorms? Are there afternoon thunderstorms here?
I came to the Kern River and couldn’t resist a dip. Water that nice must be appreciated.
A mile or so later I saw some cattle with the same idea, mucking around in the water. Just a reminder to always filter the water.
I saw a couple markers for 700 miles. But no Kennedy Meadows turn off in sight. I speedwalked the remaining miles to the road crossing and then turned onto pavement. A green highway sign welcomed me to Kennedy Meadows. I hustled up the road, past a smatter of farms, right up to the patio of the General Store.
Let me tell you something about the Kennedy Meadows General Store. Five dogs! They have five dogs and one of them is a puppy. Which means I got nothing done while waiting for my parents to arrive. No writing, no shower, no laundry. I barely remembered to eat a cheeseburger. 
My parents showed up around sunset. They’d been off on their own adventure, driving up the dirt road that google maps sent them on. Rather than going to another campground, we decided to camp behind the general store. That way my parents could get a taste of PCT camping at least.
Spinstera 