SAYONARA SIERRAS

So I left y’all at Kennedy Meadows North on the 3rd of July. It was a day to hang out with other hikers. Emily and the newly named Spontaneous, RJ and Best Buy until he hiked out. I had steak for dinner took a shower with the provided horse shampoo in the stalls behind the laundry room and once the workers had finished their work for the day, washing all the bedding from the rooms, I did laundry.The place was super crowded. After sundown I took a stroll with spontaneous and his wife and there were people sleeping in cars at every possible pullout. Hikers were still milling about; there was almost an air off desperation to celebrate the 4th in the face of lockdown. People were asking where trailheads were so they could hike out into the dark after driving all day. The beaches had been closed, planned festivities canceled, days before the holiday. The freedom to celebrate freedom curtailed at every turn. So they came to the mountains some experiencing life without cell signal for the very first time. They bought gear and headed to the wild: determined in the face of pandemics and shutdowns: fireworks were banned but the spark of liberty was ignited, they would celebrate their Independence Day!