Day 71&72 Glen PassMiles 789-800

Day 71 Start: Onion Valley Campground End: PCT Total: 8ish miles

We woke up at our usual time, a bit after 4. Even though we were planning a shorter day we wanted to get up and over Kearsarge Pass before it got too mushy and slushy.

We had breakfast and coffee and used the campgrounds trash and toilets before heading up. It seemed like a totally new trail. It required a bit of navigation as it was still halfway snow covered but eventually we made it to the traverse right below the pass. It was kinda scetchy coming down, I had taken my ice axe out for it but knew the steps were pretty solid so forgoed the ice axe when coming back up. 

At the top we had some snacks and put on some layers before heading down. We got to the cross roads where we could take a shortcut up the next pass and briefly debated going back to our original plan of trying to get to mammoth. However, we only had 6 days of food and that would require us to do 17+ miles a day. Pretty ridiculous in these spring conditions. We decided against it and that we would just enjoy our time out here. 

We tried some glissading down but the ice was still a bit hard so it didn’t work well. We then made our way through the forest and came to bullfrog lake where we’d take a long break. It was a beach day! We set up nicks tarp for some shade and made another cup of coffee and just took in the view and eventually had lunch. 

After a couple hours we packed up and walked .1 around the lake to a new view and decided to sit down and draw our view with the art kit Nick had packed out. 

After that we made our way, 1 mile, back to the intersection of the PCT. This is where I imagined us camping but there wasn’t any really great spots. We found some spots that would do but decided to drop our packs and go .3 miles and 200 feet up the trail to scout those camp sites. My map said there were sites up there but a recent comment said it was all snow covered. 

We hiked up without our packs on and found a couple snow free spots. It was a nicer area, with better views so we went back down, filtered water, got our stuff and made the way back up. We got our camps set up, Nick, having a hammock, had to go a little ways from me. We then had dinner and played some cards by my tent before a beautiful sunset and a long awaited slumber. 

Day 72 Glen Pass: Start: 789.9 end: 800.9

Total 11 miles 

We woke up and got going shortly after 5 in the morning. I felt pretty cranky and it was hard navigating in the snow and constantly having to take my hand out of my glove to check the map. I was grateful when Nick offered to take over the navigation. 

We started with our spikes on but after a snowy forest arrived at a dry section of trail and took them off. Not long after we got back to the snow and had some steep traverses so we put them back on. After the traverse we wound our way through he valley and past some still frozen alpine lakes, going higher and higher. Nick led us the wrong way up a super steep hillside before we found where the actual trail went.  

We made our way to the base of the pass, it looked super steep and full of snow. There weren’t great tracks going up so we took out our ice axes and started up. It was a mix of snow free switch backs and really steep snowy traverse. We made our way through this steep section of snow to a pile of loose rocks. I slipped off one a fell back, catching myself. I looked down and there was a good bit of room for me to fall before the cliff but it still startled me. 

We finally made it to the top and it looked even steeper and scarier on the descent. There were two sets of footprints one going directly down and another more defined pair going around the mountain. We took the more defined pair which ended up being the steeper option. The foot prints led us down a steep descent and I stabbed my ice axe into the snow on every step. Eventually the footsteps started making its own switchback and zig zagging through the snow. I was pretty frightful the whole way down and moving very slowly and diligently just trying to focus on my breathing. It was exhausting. 

We eventually got down and kept lowering in elevation to Rae Lakes where we took a break overlooking the lakes and made some coffee and had some breakfast. After our break we crossed a pond/stream that was thaw. It was already heating up and I knew I would regret not swimming in it so I took a quick dip in the freezing cold pond before we continued along our way. 

The trail was surprisingly snow free as we walked around the lake but came back in full force. We then went through a snowfield for 3/4 miles. It was getting quite soft, slushy and we were doing a lot of post holing. A few miles after our break we arrived at a couple lakes. We had to ford another larger stream in between the lakes. We were planning on taking a lunch break after that so we kept our crocs on and walked on the trail a bit longer through a couple more snow patches before finding a descent spot. We dried our shoes that were soaked from the snow and our feet that stomped through snow after being frozen from the stream. We took a nice long break, drying things and getting more water before heading back out on trail. 

We hiked through the snow for a bit longer until it started to clear up as we headed down into the valley. It was so nice to be walking on a regular dirt trail again. All the snow in the Sierras is starting to melt so there is water everywhere and often times the water takes the path of the trail. The water makes the rivers and streams much more tricky to ford as well. 

We came to a large river and had to hop across one leg and then take our shoes off and walk across the other. Using teamwork, we went slowly, crossing arm and arm as this was the fastest and deepest current we had yet to cross. After the river, it was super nice, snow free miles all the way down into our campsite. 

We did come across a couple that was doing the Rae Lakes loop which required crossing Glens Pass. They didn’t have an ice axe though. We told them it was possible but would be really hard and scary but to make sure they go up in the morning when the snow is still super solid. 

We had a beautiful campsite all to ourselves right along the river. We set up right next to each other , did our camp chores, played some cards and then off to bed. I had left my comfy camp socks in my puffy jaket and one of them fell out, so I was devastated. Also earlier in the day I fell into a hole and lost my snow tip for my trekking pole which without that it’s impossible to use your pole in the snow. Luckily one was waiting for me at camp, but still no sock. The trail givieth and the trail takith away.