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Click "Play" below to listen to the Day 17 audio journal.
June 10, 2015
Day: 17 Daily Miles: 41 Total Miles: 795.75 Hours Hiking: 16.5
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| My shadow hiking in the early sun near Rock Creek. |
June 10th, I made it 41 on the dot, to point 0374055 E 4079086 N UTM...Whooo, what a day. Lets see, if I thought the previous day was bad because I had to end with more or less rain and snow and wind...It doesn't even get close to comparing with this day.... I started with a few miles to go to get to Rock Creek. I took a little longer to get my tarp down, so I didn't leave until about 5:55 am... It didn't rain overnight, a few sprinkles here or there, I woke up at some point in the night and saw stars, which was a good sign, maybe the weather was going to clear. I had seen the forecast about 5 days earlier for Mammoth Lakes, which said that Wednesday, was supposed to be the day with the weather...but maybe it came in early, because Wednesday is today. I made quick time down to Rock Creek, then I had a nice...and by nice I mean not very fun, steep hike, up to Guyot Pass. I had music in for the morning to keep my rhythm going, get the feet moving faster. I passed a guy that I had met, way back near Big Bear at the Arrestre Trail Camp...he had obviously skipped ahead. A couple more climbs and I got to Crabtree Meadows, which was very beautiful. I passed about....for the day I passed about 34 people hiking....I can only imagine numerous others that were doing Mt. Whitney and that were actually inside their tents because of the events that happened later in the afternoon. Shoot, I probably passed 40 tents... Anyways, Crabtree Meadows was as beautiful as ever...there were deer foraging on grass out in the meadow and a couple bucks in velvet right next to the trail. I got some water, went up the steep little climb, to get you up and out of Crabtree....All the while, kind of big puffy happy clouds are starting to grow around...not necessarily Colorado thunderstorm puffy clouds, more like New Zealand...kind of happy clouds....they didn't look threatening at all.
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| The meadow just before Rock Creek. |
So, I wasn't too worried. There was a chance of thunderstorms for the day, maybe they would happen, maybe they wouldn't? Maybe it was the remnant moisture from yesterday... It made it nice having some cloudy spots as you are hiking up hills. A lot more steep uphills that I didn't remember from 2012 were in between Crabtree Meadows and Forester Pass...but that happens. I got up to the Big Horn Plateau, which was spectacular with all of the clouds... by that time, a lot of the mountains, the bigger, taller mountains surrounding were, wreathed in clouds. I could see Mt. Whitney, the whole east side was socked in, but the summit was clear, at least looking towards the west. It all didn't look too bad. I could see Forester Pass, it had some darker clouds around it. I stopped at the Big Horn Plateau to dry out my stuff, have a "yard sale", as its called. I got my tarp and sleeping bag all dried out and had lunch. I spent a little longer there than I'd like, but it was beautiful, and sometimes you have to enjoy what's right in front of you. I got going again, dropped down to the creek crossing, which in the previous two hikes, I had to actually take my shoes off and ford the creek...this time it was actually low enough to actually hop rocks...that gives you an idea of the water situation [California drought and lack of snowpack]. There is still water everywhere, but more due to the later season snows which are keeping the small streams a live, rather than the general snowpack. I hopped across...then saw the signs that said 5 miles (uuugghhhh!), I didn't think it was that far to the summit!
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| A snow hare on the climb to Guyot Pass. |
Right as I got up and above tree line, I heard a little bit of thunder off to the southeast...which wasn't over Forester Pass, so I wasn't too worried. It was the first one I had heard that day, so I wasn't worried. Not lightning or anything...it's called a 'thunder'storm for a reason....not a 'lightning'storm. I just hustled my way up and up and up towards Forester...probably when I was about halfway there, the clouds really started to come over me, the wind picked up, it got cold. It started hailing on me...which pretty much wouldn't stop until the backside of Forester... I met 3 people who were like " Ohh no, we heard thunder, it's hailing.. what do you think?" I replied "Aww don't worry about it, it'll be fine. If you haven't seen lightning, it's not even close to a normal Colorado thunderstorm, where you know you don't want to be up there." I kept going...just in my shorts and my shirt. Because I am hiking fast, so if I keep myself closed off [raingear], I just get too hot and start sweating, and sweat at high altitude with lots of wind when it's actually cold out is BAD...you will get really cold really quickly if you stop moving. So, I keep myself ventilated, so that when I do stop, I won't be wet. Then, I get up towards the base, a little bit of snow [on the ground], pretty much the same amount as 2012...and there are like 10 people just hanging out...going like "I don't know if we should go up or should we not?" I was like "well, I'm going up". I talked with the closest group and told them that it's called a thunderstorm for a reason, not a lightningstorm...not all thunderstorms have lighting. Their reply was "well we just heard thunder!" so I was "whatever, I'm going".
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| The mountains near Mt. Whitney, above Crabtree Meadows. |
So, huffing and puffing, I make my way up the switchbacks. The fun part is, when you're up at high elevation hiking fast, you can literally try and hyperventilate, and it won't happen, and it actually helps you climb...If I'm out of breath, I'll sit at a switchback or wherever and take as many quick deep breaths, or shallow breaths as possible, get as much oxygen into my lungs and blood...then I feel great and can hike fast again. I actually passed another guy, who I had met at Cajon Pass at the Best Western when I was resupplying, that when we met had said he was getting a car and going to skip ahead. He was on Forester Pass, which was a surprise to him...he was like "Wow, didn't expect you so soon." It was hailing on me the entire way up Forester. I got to just where the cornice usually is, with the little chute where you have to cross the little snow patch, and there was a little eddy there that didn't have any wind or hail and was dry, so I stopped got my poncho out, got all my warm gear on, because I knew I'd be going down for days....then went up and over the top. Once I got over to the other side, it was pretty much a whiteout on the backside. Maybe 10 ft visibility....There was snow as well, so no initial switchbacks...I just went down, having to follow others tracks, and more tracks.
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| Puffy clouds on the Big Horn Plateau. |
When you can't see the trail [buried in snow] there is now point in following it, until you get back to where you can follow it again. I cut down a ways where I finally got back onto the trail. It's still....the hail had let up a little, but there were still flurries...but lots of wind and cold. I got through most of the snow..there wasn't much besides at the top, and then I went down forever and ever and ever. It started to rain after a little while and that rain did not let up....umm...until I was at the very bottom of the descent, just before I had to climb up towards the Kersarge Pass trail junction. I met another foreign guy and hiked with him for about a mile. He was behind me, asking questions, going fast downhill....but that Forester downhill....it's sooooo long. It's probably about 6 miles...and 6 miles feels soo long when you can't see anything and it's raining and you're kind of miserable. The clouds did clear up a little as we went lower, you would get glimpses [views down the valley] as they rolled through. I got down to Vidette Meadows, where there were about 6 tents spread around there....then I knew I had a climb up and out of that stupid valley...and obviously, the weather around was socked in...and I knew that Glen Pass was going to be...well...awful.... But, I had to keep going.
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| The encroaching weather about 2 miles from Forester Pass. |
At that point I was only at....well the summit of Glen Pass was 35 miles, so at that point I was probably at, maybe a 30....and for me, that's 10 miles short of the minimum I want to do per day in the Sierras, granted I have a lead and am ahead of schedule, but, I want to try and keep what I can. So, I pushed on. I went up the really steep climb to the Kersarge Junction, it was raining on my really hard, harder than anytime before [on the hike], not just sprinkles. It took me about 4,500 steps to gain about 1,200 ft elevation to where it levels out a the very very top...and at that point, it began to snow. The snow didn't stop until I got up and over to Rae Lakes, about 2 hours later.....
But, ummm....phew....anybody else would have thought it was a crazy idea to go over Glen pass when I did. And, I knew that...but I have also hiked the trail before and I knew what I was getting myself into, and that, assuming that there wasn't a foot of new snow, I would be fine. I would be cold, I'd be miserable, it would take a lot of work, but give it two hours and I would be up and over and as long as I was careful, I would be unharmed. And....that's what happened!
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| Looking back down Forester Pass through the clouds and light snow. |
I had the tarp on, had my trekking poles on, had music on...I did take some caffeine at the bottom of Vidette Meadows...which I knew I needed to, it was...get the mind in the right place, get the body in the right place ......but .......yeah..... MISERABLE. Literally, cold, snow, hard hiking, because Glen Pass is just steep up, steep down. I had switchbacks, I couldn't see....Pretty much as I got to the last set of 15-20 switchbacks, there was a good 1/2" of snow covering most rocks....and the shoes that I am currently using have no knobs...they are pretty flat...they are actually road running shoes, which for the PCT is pretty much fine....and I knew the Sierras were the only place where I may have trouble, just because of wet rocks and snow and things. If you just take it snow, plant your foot, it's fine. So, I did...uphill is always easier too. Head down, climbed up, the wind was whipping at me on the backside, but once I got to the top, I let out a very ferocious exaltation of screaming that I had made it, and did a little dance because my music made me, and promptly decided to go down the other side.
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| The visibility clearing a little, backside of Forester Pass. |
There was wind but there was snow...that was the most difficult part of my day....truly...Forester is at least not as steep, but Glen is just sheer. I could see a little ways down, to at least it wasn't a complete whiteout, at least at that point...Yeah, i just followed the switchback until it gets covered in [old] snow, follow other people footprints as best you can, because you are going down on snow covered rocks...trekking poles planted...feet planted...every step counts....It slowed me down for sure, but if I fell, I would have careened down the mountain [no exaggeration] (laughs)....which you know, is worth spending some time not to do....Yeah, after about a half hour, I made it down the bulk of the snowy area, at least the piles of snow...there was still a coating of fresh snow...lots of water because it wasn't super cold yet, so it was all melting out...I had super soaked shoes...I got down a little further....I had a close call where one foot slid on a rock and kind of went behind the other and I almost tipped over the edge...but I didn't and that's what matters.... I got down a little further....and did eat it once. I slipped on a rock, on some snow, but thankfully landed in a snowbank. I just bumped my elbow a little bit, no big deal. Then I finally made it down to Rae Lakes, the snow had let up...it was more of a little drizzle mist. I was cold, but was getting warmer because I was getting lower.
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| If I wasn't careful, I would careen down the backside of Glen Pass. NO FUN! |
The Rae Lakes are so pretty, they are this nice emerald green/turquoise color, and it's just a very pretty setting, even when you can't see a lot. At that point, I was at a 37, so I knew I needed to keep going. There is a few people camped out at Rae Lakes and by this time it was about...lets see, I topped out at Glen Pass at about 6:40 pm, and I think by the time I got down to Rae Lakes, it was around 7:40 pm. So, not too longer before it got dark, but one way to keep warm is to just keep going. The trail flattens out and stays at about 10,000 ft for quite a while around the Rae Lakes, so I wanted to get down lower, so I kept the music in and walked and walked fast. My arms were inside the poncho to keep warm and I just went and went and went, and finally I started dropping off. The cloud line was above me...I got below the mist...eventually found a nice tree right next to trail which had a creel pretty close by. Under about the top 1/4' of pine needles the ground was dry, so excavated myself a little spot...it wasn't raining or misting at that time, but the tree was dripping a little so I did my normal dinner thing without the tarp over me. Because I didn't know what the night was going to do, I did set up the tarp eventually.
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| After my little Glen Pass summit dance.. |
As was doing that I could see stars popping out, so I probably didn't need to, but at the same time, you can't be too careful, especially when you know there is weather about.....YEAH....WHAT A DAY....that was an experience...of the 3 times I have gone over Glen Pass, 2 times have been whiteout snow...just put another one down for that...I got my miles, I got 1+ miles actually, so I'm happy about that and I'm in good position to do Pinchot Pass tomorrow morning...and I'm thinking the weather is going to clear up and turn nice for me, which would be AMAZING...so that is what I wish for and no more rain...in the Sierras or the rest of my hike...that would be kinda nice...you know, maybe a thunderstorm for like a couple hours in the afternoon, that would be fine. No weather systems please!
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| The BEAUTIFUL Rae Lakes. |
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| The full 180 degrees of Forester Pass, about 20 feet from the summit looking south. |
