Weekend Trip to Kennedy Meadows

It was 7:58. A Friday night. The sun still just above the mountain ridge and already Alena and I had retreated to our tent for the night. Only a thin layer of netting separated us and our dinners from the countless vicious mosquitoes that were systematically probing our tent, looking for a way in to continue their own feast.

What the hell were we doing in this predicament when our normal Friday nights are so relaxed and carefree in beautiful Santa Barbara?

We were camping at Kennedy Meadows in the Southern Sierra Nevada. Where even though it was the middle of August and super dry, nature finds a way. And that way is often, fittingly with the quote, by way of swarms of blood sucking mosquitos.

We had been looking forward to a camping trip for some time now as our schedules and the heavy snow year had so far thwarted our camping plans for 2019.

Being later in the summer, I wanted to camp somewhere that would be less crowded on a weekend, still mountainous and not too far from Santa Barbara.

After a little research I settled on the famous PCT stopover area of Kennedy Meadows. It was about a 3.5 hour drive northeast of Santa Barbara. Right at the southeastern tip of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The campground was situated on the PCT and the small South Fork of the Kern River flowed right through the camp. It seemed like a perfect fit for us to get away for some hiking and fishing. Plus I thought it might be fun to hang out with some thru-hikers at the famous Kennedy Meadows General Store.

The last hour of the drive was through high desert and scrubland. Alena was skeptical of my destination choice as drove ever nearer through hot, dry and treeless landscapes. I was pretty sure that we would hit a change in environment soon and be camping in a forrest like I saw in the online pictures. But I won’t lie, I was a bit worried I had led us astray in my choice.

At last we came over a pass and started to descend the western side of a ridge-line down into Kennedy Meadows and larger flora became prominent.

We found the campground quite empty with only about 6 of the 30 or so sites occupied. By Saturday night I would guess that maybe 20 or so of the sites were filled up.

It was a generally pretty dry campground. No running water and there were pit toilets. Only half of the campsites had decent tree shade. All of the sites had asphalt parking pads and mostly all included a picnic table and fire pit. When we were there there was no charge for camping which was consistent with what I found in the National Forest website at the time as well.

We arrived and picked a nice flat and shady site close to the restrooms and a short walk to the river. This was the area most occupied when we arrived, but we figured a few neighbors would be no big deal. Sadly we were wrong in this assumption.

We quickly set up our camp and got ready for a quick exploratory walk along the river to find a good fishing and/or swimming spot while it was still sunny and warm out.

We were excited to be camping!

We weren’t sure how much water would be running or if there would be a good spot to swim or fish. Luckily there was plenty of water flowing and we certainly found a great spot!

Just a hundred feet or so from the campground up river, there is an opening through the brush and a big swimming hole adjacent to a huge boulder.

I threw a few lurers in before we took a dip. We saw a few tiny fish, but no luck catching any that evening.

As the sun approached the neighboring ridge line, we toweled off and headed back to camp to settle in for dinner and to start a camp fire.

Walking into camp we immediately felt two things: First the temperature was dropping significantly and the dry heat was becoming quite comfortable. The second was the previous absence of all flying bugs ceased and a handful of mosquitos began buzzing around us.

As we got out all of our cooking gear, this small annoyance of mosquitos grew into an unbearable swarm. Our fancy dinner plans were nixed and we scrambled to get everything back into the car ASAP. That is when we grabbed two cans of soup and jumped in our tent to spend our first night smore-less, sheltering in our tent and already all bit up. Quite a turn of events from our amazing river dip just a few minutes prior!

Our less than ideal night got a bit worse as our neighbors came back to their camp. They were very loud and very drunk late into the night. Not a great set of people to be next to when trying to enjoy the great outdoors.

We awoke in the middle of the night to heavy winds and I noticed that they had not put out their camp fire all the way. Flames and sparks were flying out of their fire pit putting everyone at great risk as the surrounding plant life was quite dry that time of year.

The stupidity of some people can be astounding at times. There were signs all over the camp about properly putting out your fire and yet these idiots could not do the simple task. I grabbed a jug of water we had and walked over to their camp to douse their fire for good.

It was a fitful rest for us that night as we had the worry in the back of our minds that the fire could start up again let alone the future danger of having these ignorant campers sharing the forrest with us.

We ended up moving camps the next day so that we could enjoy our camping experience with a bit more peace and quiet.

The next morning after a delicious pancake breakfast, we went on a lovely hike north along the PCT.

Even though it was pretty dry, there were amazing wildflowers all along the trail.

We stopped along the river a few times to fish a bit. I caught a couple small trout.

It was a beautiful stretch of river with a few good fishing holes and a great swimming and fishing hole just above the bridge.

While the hole was big the fish was still small!

I tried a few different lurers, but what worked the best were gold lurers, especially my little gold Panther Martin with black spots.

By the time we hiked back to camp, cleaned up and ate some lunch it was getting real hot. We decided the heat of the day would be a good time to go grab a cold beer at the bar down the road, the Grumpy Bear Retreat, then check out the famed Kennedy Meadows General Store to grab an ice cream and some bug spray!

We chilled in the bar by the air conditioner playing some Hearts and drinking local beers.

The soft serve at the general store did not disappoint either. Although we did not meet any PCT while there, as that time of year hikers are not really in this high dessert section.

After our snacks we were refreshed and relaxed, ready to spend the rest of the afternoon lounging in the river by camp.

We had noticed from the night before that it seemed like the mosquitos only came out at dusk. They were absent prior and did not seem to be out in force once it got properly dark either.

We decided we would cook an early dinner. Retreat to the tent for an hour or two to read and play cards, and then return to the outdoors once dark to build a fire and cook some s’mores!

We made one of my camping favorites for dinner: fancy grilled cheeses! Sourdough bread, extra butter, sharp cheddar cheese, fresh sliced tomatoes and avocado. It was so delicious and to top it off, we washed it down with a fine bottle of 2014 BV Tapestry!

It was a fantastic wine: complex, bold dark fruits, baking spices and a smooth oak finish. It went very nicely with our sandwiches and salad we made. We stuck to our plan and finished off the bottle as we watched the sunset from the shelter of our tent while the mosquitos swarmed outside.

As planned we re-emerged into the dark and enjoyed our night around a big fire and made some delicious s’mores.

AND THEN WE FULLY PUT OUT OUR FIRE before we crawled into our bags beneath the amazing stars above.

It was so clear and remote that we could see the entire Milky Way. The stars were countless and a true spectacle that night. Those views never get old and are part of what keep me coming back to enjoy the outdoors.

The next morning we headed back home taking the western route instead. This took us over Sherman’s Pass to the Kern River. We stopped for a picnic and some fishing and swimming.

The river was raging! So much water flowing this year. It was wild to be next to. You could feel the energy and power!

The drive along the Kern River was a long and windy trip back to the main highways, but the views and a cold dip into the water at a calmer bend was well worth taking the long way home!

Our trip to Kennedy Meadows was a fun escape into a new part of the Sierras for us. But unless I was starting a portion of the PTC from there or doing a little climbing expedition, I would not plan on returning. It was a bit limited in its hiking and fishing in the area. The landscape was pretty, but I am more of a big tree / forrest guy than a high dessert guy.

Kennedy Meadows was worth checking out, but was not my favorite spot. Luckily camping is more about the little experiences along the way not necessarily the destination. And the little experiences Alena and I shared that weekend still bring a smile to my face each time I think of them.

That is why I am more than happy to spend my weekend nights hunkered in a tent, escaping a swarm of mosquitos. The memories in my mind and the smile that comes to my face weeks later when I think back on them make any little discomfort well worth it!

– Alan Evans