150 Homes, Part 9

Miles 1407 to 1095

We haven’t updated for a while due to the need to hike longer miles and take fewer zeroes in order to keep to schedule. Northern California saw many of the driest and wettest areas of trail so far, with Hat Creek Rim a particularly dry section. We ran into snow again around Lake Aloha, but we were seasoned pros at this point, and nothing could compare to the terror of the Ashland-to-Etna snow walls.

Since we had flipped north, this section was a period of building tension before we reached the Sierras. Would the creeks still be impassable? It was important to focus on the lower-key beauty around us and not dwell on trail we hadn’t reached yet.

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 86, Mile 1391.07: Our camp spot on Hat Creek Rim next to the wonderfully named Cache 22. The rim was long, waterless and full of cows who loomed spookily out of the dusk and then skittered away in fear. The cache was the only water for miles if you weren't interested in a terrifying scramble to a creek halfway down the rim wall. #150homes #pct2017 #pctclassof2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 20, 2017 at 8:57pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Night 87, Mile 1370.98: Camping in RV parks can bring unexpected trail magic. A lady came out of her camper and gave us a bottle of red wine just for being hikers. Earlier, a stranger bought us all Sierra Nevadas from the local gas station. These acts of kindness make us want to do the best job we can. #pctclassof2017 #pct2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 20, 2017 at 9:01pm PDT

 

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Night 88, Mile 1347.78: Our whistlestop tour through Lassen didn't let us see many sights, but we did camp next to a sulphuric river at Drakesbad which make our tent smell like a latrine. So there's that. #150homes #pct2017 #pctclassof2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 20, 2017 at 9:06pm PDT

 

 

 

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Night 89, mile 1328.82: Arry enjoys a classic Best Western breakfast at the motel in Chester. We showed restraint and only ate another nineteen waffles each. #pctclassof2017 #pct2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 20, 2017 at 9:09pm PDT

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Night 90, Mile 1325.52: Our first evening out from Chester had ten of us crowded into a site designed for two tents. We somehow made it work. Our tent was on such sloped and slanted ground that not much sleep was to be had. Recovering from a sleep debt is difficult on trail, and we would be grumpuses for several days afterwards. #150homes #pct2017 #pctclassof2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 21, 2017 at 7:59am PDT

 

 

 

 

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Night 91, Mile 1302.95: Dad Jokes expounds upon the topic of knock-off ramen (why were all the beef flavour packets in different fonts?) as we camp by a road halfway to Sierra City. A giant flashing hell-wagon woke us up in the middle of the night by almost running us over, while a search helicopter roared overhead. It was not a super tranquil evening. #pctclassof2017 #pct2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 21, 2017 at 8:08am PDT

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Night 92, Mile 1284.29: Belden resort! The PCT passes right through this cute little eatery, RV park and general store, which is famed for throwing drugged-up festivals. Sadly we were a week early for the next rave, but the great burgers and tranquil river swims made up for it. #150homes #pct2017 #pctclassof2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 21, 2017 at 8:10am PDT

 

 

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Night 93, Mile 1261.72: Arry yawns after a brutal climb up from Belden. Five thousand feet of ascent and a total of nineteen miles hiked made this a real tough day. The next two days took our total ascent to fifteen thousand feet. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 21, 2017 at 10:35am PDT

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Night 94, mile 1238.9: we camped next to a dirt road not far from some other hikers whom we studiously ignored because they seemed very friendly and we weren't in the mood for that. Trucks roared down the road during the night, making us very glad that we had decided not to camp right on it. Most of the time, dirt road camping in NorCal is perfectly safe; the woods are criss-crossed with hundreds of old disused roads in various stages of overgrowth. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:21am PDT

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Night 95, mile 1217.2: a great example of a safe dirt road. It continued downhill, growing ever more flooded and ferny, until it disappeared entirely into a mass of shrubs and mud. The end of the road made for a class pooping spot. #pctclassof2017 #pct2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:23am PDT

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Night 96, mile 1195.4: we took a whirlwind nero in the tiny town of Sierra City, staying in a slightly bonkers holiday home which was decorated like your gran's house. There was no open container law, so we all sat in a disused porch opposite the general store and drank an inadvisable number of Coors Heavies. The resupply was so expensive that we vowed never to eat again. #pctclassof2017 #pct2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:26am PDT

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Night 97, mile 1183.5: our first night out of Sierra City saw us camped by Pass Creek, in a spot that had seen some ancient partying. Faded beer cans littered the site. After dark, several huge RV campers drove down the road, realised they had gone the wrong way, stopped, then spent the next twenty minutes trying to turn round. There was a certain schadenfreude as we placidly watched their struggles. #150homes #pct2017 #pctclassof2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:26am PDT

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Night 98, mile 1160.76: we spent the night in the Peter Grubb Hut not far from Truckee. This is normally for skiers, hence why the upstairs room has a door twenty feet up that opens onto nothing. Most of the time, you simply step out of it onto the snow. We slept soundly despite Bradley leaving a protein bar half-eaten, which led to a mouse dragging it across the floor; Bradley tried to throw the bar out of the door and instead hit the window, which woke up everyone not wearing earplugs. It was all very amusing for me, a habitual earplug user. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:28am PDT

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Night 99, mile 1140.9: ascending from Donner Pass, we camped amid fast-melting snow banks in the Granite Chief Wilderness. A happy reunion with our friend Annie led to scary tales of the frozen Sierra. Little did we know that it would be almost totally melted by the time we got there. Dad Jokes was this evening's MVP as he had brought enough hot dogs and buns for everyone. This is a major gift when every extra ounce is begrudged. #pctclassof2017 #pct2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:29am PDT

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Night 100, Mile 1118.5: Mosquitos drove us two extra miles from our first campsite to another, also swarmed by mosquitos. We did not enjoy their company, particularly, and have decided we'd like to avoid mosquitos in general, going forward. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:31am PDT

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Night 101, mile 1099.1: we camped at Lake Aloha back in 2014 when we first decided to hike the trail, and here we were again. The massive snowmelt meant that our original camp site was underwater, but we found another site which was still somewhat damp from the snow that had covered it mere hours before. We ate dinner on a sunny rock and drank snowmelt water. #150homes #pctclassof2017 #pct2017

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:32am PDT

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Nights 102 and 103, mile 1092.2: The gang enjoys a much-needed zero day in a South Lake Tahoe cabin, courtesy of trail angel extraordinaire Miranda Everitt. We filled the place with food and booze, then proceeded to have an epoch-defining bender. Even the foul, brackish hot tub couldn't spoil our epic party. We got back on trail having achieved nothing and feeling great. #pct2017 #pctclassof2017 #150homes

A post shared by Betty And Tim Cameron (@bettytimhikes) on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:49pm PDT

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