RP, isn't that shuttle out of Visalia, not Fresno?
I'm not sure, I always thought it was Fresno but I could be wrong.
Continuing up the Kern River to Lake South America then loop back on the PCT is a nice idea. The section of trail from Junction Meadow up to the PCT junction at Wallace Creek is an exposed and very hot slog.
If you do continue up the Kern River by the time you near in on the first little lake up there it's mostly a class 1 trail so it takes a bit longer to navigate up hill.
