We leave the motel early to drive to a version of Discount Tire (meaning each location has a variation on their name so they don’t have to honor their nationwide warranty, even in the same state). If a company offers this, it should come with a map of their other locations and transparency of that charge, as the guy in Redlands, after hearing our situation, tried to secretly charge us for a service he knew we couldn’t use.

Anywho, we left there 70 minutes later with a leaky bottle of permethrin. Caleb was able to soak some of it up with his shirt. We will deal with the rest later. We drive north and though we have time to camp at Fossil Falls, about 12 miles north up the 395 from the Kennedy Meadows turnoff, I remind Caleb of the 100° F afternoon temps we would have to sit through to get to the starry views (which are always worth a little sweat and discomfort).

We turn onto 9 Mile Canyon Rd. and are pleasantly surprised when we don’t hit dirt road (as the navigation warned). It’s a lovely drive and Hillbilly recognizes us and waves as we walk up. Others are quick to say hi to Soccer Mom before we go inside to pick up a package that comes with a $4 fee to do so. It’s only a dollar per box after that. We are given free Class of 2025 stickers, which feels like an even exchange.

I meet Archive, known for her need to write down the answer to every question she asks. I don’t feel like being interviewed, but perhaps she’ll put together a neat infographic of the data she has collected. The sleeping cat is named Ranger and three dirty dogs are running around outside. There are two tables and a few boxes of used hiker gear to go through. There are charging stations, boxes for recycling, and a $5 fee for a shower or to use the washing machine.

All laundry is dried on a line and all camping is free. There are vehicle accessible spots three miles up a rough road, potholes turned into Joker smiles that leave drainage ditches to drive over. Perhaps I’m exaggerating, but after two flat tires, I’m also hesitant to have to drive south again for a third replacement. We drive the loop and decide on a large spot with plenty of shade so that Caleb can set up the tent and then we can pack our bags for tomorrow’s hike.

We’ll be going south and returning here, but we will need our bear cans to continue north, so we swap out the items they are holding for a few days’ worth of food. Caleb uses the rest of the leaky permethrin bottle to spray our clothes. It’s still warm here and cooler by the store, so we decide to drive back down.

Caleb gets out and attempts to help a camper back into a site, but the angle is wrong, and the driver’s skillset is not where it needs to be. (They find a spot with the help of Nightcap’s mom). I meet Flower, from Orlando, who is Hillbilly’s partner. She is resting here with a stress fracture and hoping to be back on the trail in a couple of weeks. I didn’t realize how popular or common this is, but it makes sense as an overuse injury.

Hillbilly will celebrate her birthday in two days and then continue north. Simba (part of his last name, not from his mane) was doing 30-mile days in the desert and wants to slow down to 22 miles on average to enjoy the Sierras. We gave a couple a ride to Grumpy Bears Retreat since they serve dinner after 5, and the hikers had missed the shuttle (ran between 1030am and 7pm daily).

Back at the store, we watch a group (Adam, Uhaul,  and Iris) debate leaving or returning to camp to set up their tents again. We let them know there’s another campsite just over two miles up the trail that will get them out of here (with a 12-pack in tow) and make it easier to leave in the morning; especially after already being here a few days. We leave shortly after they do, and I’m ready for sleep.