150 Homes, Part 6

Mile 652 to 744

This is it. The start of the Sierras. And also the end of them, because we are skipping north to Ashland. The record snowmelt this year has made the Sierra creeks dangerous to the point of recklessness, so we are tackling the rest of California from north to south: this will give the worst rivers time to subside. Once we’ve arrived back in Lone Pine, we will flip north and continue our northbound hike from Ashland.

The camp spots in this section began in arid desert, climbed up to forest at 10,000 feet, then descended back down to desert in Lone Pine. Things will be very different next week as we flip a thousand miles north. We have no idea what to expect. All we know is that we’re committed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 50-52, Mile 652: some trail towns are nowhere near the trail. Lake Isabella is 37 miles from the Walker Pass trailhead, and the only way to get there is by hitching. Nevertheless, it was groaning with hikers since all the other towns were even further away. The Lake Isabella motel is a holdout from the 1950's and looks it. The "air conditioner" was a hole in the ceiling with a fan in it, which led to some excitement when a bird shat down the hole and sprayed all our belongings with guano. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jun 16, 2017 at 1:05pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 53, mile 663.8: we camped just short of Joshua Tree spring, a water source known for its wonderfully restorative uranium content. This was our dawn view as we waited for our new superpowers to make their presence felt. #150homes #pctclassof2017 #pct2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jun 16, 2017 at 1:09pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 54, mile 683.1: the Fox Mill spring was apparently the site of an old mine. The dirt road had virtually disappeared, and the only human traces were some collapsed buildings and this ancient truck riddled with bullet holes. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jun 16, 2017 at 1:14pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nights 55 and 56, mile 702.2: Kennedy Meadows! This remote general store has mythic stature among thru-hikers since it marks the beginning of the Sierras. Many hikers were holed up here trying to decide whether to push forward or skip up north to where the snow and creeks are safer. Many, many beers were consumed. Eventually we were driven north by the inhumanely awful wifi. #150homes #pctclassof2017 #pct2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jun 16, 2017 at 1:18pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 57, mile 716.5: as we progressed north from Kennedy Meadows, the scenery changed from desert to high forests and vast windswept meadows. This campsite was in the lee of a small hill in the middle of a huge remote valley. Many hikers shivered around a fire as the wind howled on the other side of the hill. The clear skies offered no warning of what we'd awake to: a blanket of snow covering everything in sight. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jun 16, 2017 at 1:22pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 58, mile 730.7: we camped at Death Canyon Creek, which turned out to be the most pleasant and beautiful campsite yet. A cathedral of rocks and groves stretching seemingly forever down the riverside, this campsite could easily have housed hundreds of tents. We would love to come back here again if we're ever in the area. #150homes #pctclassof2017 #pct2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jun 16, 2017 at 1:30pm PDT

 

 

 

 

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Nights 59, 60 and 61, mile 744.5: we descended Mulkey Pass and arrived in Lone Pine after a horrendously hard hitch, saved only by a trail angel resembling Santa who happened to be dropping other hikers off at the top of the hill. We have now decided to flip forward to Ashland and hike south, so we will see this town again in about a month. The Dow Villa Motel is highly recommended. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jun 16, 2017 at 1:34pm PDT

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