150 Homes, Part 2

Mile 77.32 to 151.8

We’re now two weeks into our hike, and every day brings new refinements of gear and new ways to make our time more efficient. Our daily mileage has grown from five to ten to eighteen, helped in part by a shift to desert timing: get up before 5am, hike ten miles before the sun gets too hot, take a long siesta and then hike into the evening.

This has meant that we’re rolling into camp later. Betty gets the dinner going while I set up the tent and blow up our mats, then we have a little time to eat, watch the sunset and chat with other hikers before bedtime, usually 8 to 9 pm. This changes when things get windy, since the tent would fly away if both of us weren’t working together to stake it down.

This week has indeed been characterized by high ridge camp spots with exciting wind to match, but so far the tent has held up well. We also enjoyed a wonderful rest day in Idyllwild with some new hiking buddies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 9: camped on a high ridge at mile 88, we were not prepared for the incredible assault of wind that kept us up half the night and bent one of our tent poles (luckily not seriously). This astonishing sunset made up for it. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Apr 30, 2017 at 3:22pm PDT

 

 

 

 

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Night 10: at mile 105, San Ysidro Creek. Here you can see our perimeter defense system consisting of the most deadly pieces of our underwear, set up as a kind of stench barricade against night marauders. It clearly worked because we've barely been marauded since. #pctclassof2017 #pct2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Apr 30, 2017 at 3:36pm PDT

 

 

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Night 11: ten million hikers converged behind the Warner Springs community center (mile 109.5), a wonderful free haven of books and bucket showers. We partied late into the night (8:30pm) and made some great new friends. Commiserations to the guy who decided to sleep in the sports field without a tent. At least he now knows the exact timing of the Warner Springs sprinkler system. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Apr 30, 2017 at 3:54pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 12: at mile 127 we found unexpected trail magic at Mike's Place. It's a beautifully ramshackle house perched in a wind tunnel between mountains. Mike offers hikers free water, beer and pizza, plus a space in his yard to camp. We gave a generous donation then enjoyed dinner out of the wind with our new trail friends. This life is pretty magical, especially when I omit the part where we hiked all day through the desert heat in increasing agony while the wind blasted us like a jet engine to the face. #150homes #pctclassof2017 #pct2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Apr 30, 2017 at 4:09pm PDT

 

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Night 13: we booked it 18 miles to reach this beautiful spot at Mile 145. A sign marked it as "Walden", and it somewhat incongruously sported a tiny library next to its welcome water tank. We met Mary, the trail angel who maintains the site, as well as her dog Scout. We also caught up with our friends Ryan, Katie, Fiona, Jess and Stef. It's lovely to have made such great friendships already. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Apr 30, 2017 at 4:33pm PDT

 

 

 

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Nights 14 and 15: resting on a "zero" day in Idyllwild (178), sharing a cabin with some of our hiking buddies. From left to right we have Katie, Jess and Betty. A full kitchen, a shower and a nearby restaurant that does calzones. This is heaven.#pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Apr 30, 2017 at 4:47pm PDT