Mile 151 #PacificCrestTrail, new gear ahead

Today will make mile #151!  To put it in perspective I will have hiked greater than the driving distance between San Diego and Los Angeles!  During my recovery time at Warner Springs, I decided to change from a hammock setup to a tent.  I ordered a tent from REI to be delivered to the Paradise Valley Cafe in Mountain Center, CA.  I sent the hammock back home while I was resting up.  I may want to use it once I get to the Sierras, but for now I am thinking the tent will be easier and quicker for me at this point.  Going to miss my hammock, but it will work out.

My view for the evening.

I cowboy camped for the next couple of days until I got to the Paradise Valley Cafe in Mountain Center, CA.  For those of you that don't know what cowboy camping is, you basically throw your sleeping pad and bag on the ground.  I kept the tarp in case of bad weather but it turned out perfect.  Once I get the tent, I will be sending the tarp back home.

After reaching 151 miles, the hikers in our group dubbed us ourselves sophomores because we were moving out of California Section A and have completed about half of the desert section.

When we arrived at Mountain Center CA to get some food, I had package #1with the new tent in hand soon thereafter.  I was waiting on another package so most of my group hitched a ride to Idyllwild while I waited for the noon delivery.  As mentioned on the last post, I was late so my food package was AWOL and I assume it was devoured by hungry hikers that found its contents in the Hiker Box.  Because I had rested up in town, I still had 1 1/2 days of food so I was fine, but might pick something up in Idyllwild if I need it.



At noon, the package that had a patella tendon strap in it still had not arrived.  I had found someone willing to give me a ride to Idyllwild which would allow me to catch up with some of the hikers that had left before me and also look for a better hat.

It will be several days before I update again.  Thanks for reading the posts and also for supporting the Colon Cancer Alliance with me.  I have been wearing my shirt while hiking.  My dad is back home going through his chemo treatments every other week while I am moving forward and enjoying every minute of this adventure.  Thanks to my parents for helping me to realize the journey.  I know it is a lot of work to send me things along the trail. Here is a link to my GoFundMe page if you would like to help support families like ours that are going through a tough battle with colon cancer.
Zach's GoFundMe