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Why does nobody talk about the stretch between Cottonwood Pass and the Kern River junction in the Sierra?
Last July a guy named Walt hopped off his bear can at that junction and asked me if I'd done the pass "the smart way or the hard way," and I've been arguing with myself about what he even meant for a year, so: is a route better when it's planned down to the water source or when you just walk and figure it out at the junction?
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murray.cole2d ago
Cottonwood Pass isn't actually on the way to the Kern River junction, so the stretch you're asking about doesn't really exist as one route. Cottonwood drops you toward the Kern via the trail by Rockhouse Basin, and the junction people mean is down on the Kern itself where the river trail splits. Walt was probably asking if you came over from the east side with your food and water planned out, or if you just walked in dry and winged it. Those are two pretty different trips once you're in that burn area with no reliable water.
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