6/14/12 on to the PCT!

What an amazing day it has been. I woke up at 3 AM in Denver, could not fall back asleep. So I started to get things done. Packed up all of my stuff to send home after working in Wyoming for 10 days. I also spent some time watching the city slowly wake up, as I did the same.
  I was on a plane by 11. We flew right over the Grand Canyon, and I am pretty sure that I could make out where the Hayduke Trail took us back in April. Hopped off a plane at LAX, with a dream and my backpack. Met up with Lauren at the airport. Our flights got in about an hour apart from each other.
  The travel to Kennedy Meadows went sweetly. We were somehow given VIP treatment at the Avis car rental place. We didnt have to wait in the line of 20+ folks, and were okn our way in no time. The traffic in LA was a bugger, but it moved, just slowly, all 8 lanes of traffic.
  We were in Ridgecrest at 6, and I honestly had my doubts about making it to Kennedy Meadows tonight. We still had a few errands to run and the pct was another hour+ up 3 different roads and one that was super small, leading from the highway, to the middle of nowhere. We started hitching at 7 after dropping the car off. After 30 minutes an Austraiilian firefighter picked us up. Super nice guy, drove out of his way to get us out of town to 395.
   Next hitch was about 30 minutes as well. This couple named Chris and Paige picked us up. They were headed right past Kennedy Meadows and gave us a ride the whole way to the campground. They were a really nice couple, coming up here for some offroading. Chris works for CBS doing lighting for shows in hollywood and Paige works for a magazine. I am still amazed that they gave us a ride all the way to Kennedy Meadows, if it werent for them, we would have slept along the highway most likely.
 Kennedy Meadows really stirs the emotions. In 2006 I was here for 3 nights, along with many others. It was a high snow year and going into the Sierras with an ice axe (that I did not know yet how to use) was scary. But I made it through. Some of my fondest trail memories happened out there that year. I met so many great people. Now here I am again, this time with the girl I love, in a place I love.
  Everything today has worked out great. The stars above us are amazing and the smell of sage brush fills the air. We shared a meal and drank a couple beers from Colorado, and both promptly went to bed. Tomorrow we begin 8 days of hiking towards the high country of the  Sierras. Yee-Haw!