When I visit Kyle on these trips, it becomes like the most ultimate exercise in Mindfulness. When I’m there, I’m only there, and all the rest of the world floats away completely. You’ve all heard me go on about how much I’ve loved meeting these folks, so let me show you around this famous spot.

For those who saw it, in the movie ‘Wild’ with Reese Witherspoon, this is where she hikes into – filmed right here at the General Store below, and is greeted with applause. That’s real, and I watched the afternoon we were there where hiker after hiker streamed in and were all warmly welcomed and congratulated.

This is also where the real Cheryl Strayed, (author of Wild, the book) got the first ‘shakedown’ on her monster pack, where the guy is helping her sort through stuff and dumping it (“like really, deodorant?”) to lighten her load. They show this in the move too, and it’s a funny scene. Stuff, all kinds of stuff, goes into what’s called a Hiker Box. It’s like a perpetual yard sale where stuff you don’t need anymore goes and then someone else will need it and grab it. Everyone uses it, and many hikers say so many times something they’ve needed came from a Hiker Box.

When they get there, hikers can rent a shower in some small cabins they have built so they can get clean and then they can camp here or at Grumpy Bear’s about 3 miles away. There’s a small resupply available and hamburgers and hot dogs for food. Something we also thought was sort of hilarious was this Kennedy Meadows theater they have!

It didn’t take but a few minutes before Kyle started seeing other hikers he knew from the trail. But because there are literally hundreds of them spread out and leap frogging around, it was also amazing how many groups there were where people didn’t know each other, just because they haven’t run into each other. This was a couple he was with early on but then lost, so he was glad to see Max and Gretchen. They’re an actual married couple hiking (braver than me, that’s for sure!).

After eating and hanging at the store for a while, we checked out our camping options and went up the the bar restaurant in town, Grumpy Bear’s. The food is better, and this is where we ran into No Man, who Kyle left with the next day.

Most of you have probably heard of the trail registry that is kept at various check in points along the trail, and the hikers all use them. Its not only a bragging rights thing (“I was here! I did this!”) but it’s also sort of a safety tracking thing. When hikers go missing or don’t check in, these logs are checked you can count on it. But for now, get a chuckle out of these trail names…

Lastly is life at Grumpy Bear’s. It’s a vortex. A place hikers get stuck, like our friend No Man did, and just decide to stay an extra day. What’s the rush? So have another beer…They have a small camp section for the folks and also a small laundry wash, and clothes hang dry area and actual flush toilets. So it’s a treat, and best of all the food is good and the portions large!