We had a very scenic campsite, but it was cold until the sun came up over the pass. We slept in a little – a nice change from our last few days on the trail. When we got going, we rejoined the PCT before long and started up the slopes to Glen Pass. It was a slow and scenic few miles. We were definitely feeling the weight of our packs today. Thankfully our tough climbing on the last section – Whitney and Forester – were done near the end of the leg. No such luck this time since we’re doing about a pass per day.
The climb up to the pass was shorter and less intimidating than at Forester. We stopped for a break at the top to take in the view and watch the traffic jam up ahead. Pascal is a hiker that has his own team of mules and one of them was balking at the descent through the snow. Other hikers were trying to help him encourage the animal along and eventually they got going but it took a while. Once Pascal reaches Washington he’ll cut over to the Continental Divide Trail and then head all the way down to South America. Quite a trip!
The decent off the pass was dicey at times – steep, rocky, and through intermittent snow – but before long we reached the basin and all the blue-green lakes below. We skirted their shores, watching the trout leap for bugs. On the way down we met a group of backpackers. One of them was wearing a Twins hat and it turned out that he and another guy were from Bloomington and Brooklyn Park! Small world. We all agreed that this was a good summer to miss the baseball season since the Twins were being their usual selves. At Rae Lake near the ranger station we took a quick break before heading on. We were going very slowly and were starting to feel the pinch of time. We had a certain site in mind to stay at tonight in order to hit Pinchot Pass early tomorrow. Along the way we were passed by a NPS mule train – a string of mules hauling supplies, led by two NPS employees on horses. It was neat to see but we ended up dodging manure for the next few hours. Leave no trace, indeed.
As we headed towards Woods Creek, which marked the start of the climb towards the next pass, we took another break and snacked instead of cooking lunch. Neither of us was very hungry. Maybe it was the altitude. We took a short nap in the sun, too – today was one of those days where we have trouble keeping our eyes open as soon as we sit down.
Finally we roused ourselves for the last 5 miles of the day. We descended to Woods Creek, where we chatted with a very nice couple from Australia who are traveling up the west coast. We crossed a suspension bridge over the creek – an actual bridge! It was similar to the two on the Wonderland trail but much shakier, with a few missing planks. We crossed without incident and started uphill towards our campsite and the pass. We followed the creek up its drainage and past all the cascades it made over the rocks. The climb wasn’t bad but we were dragging with no lunch in our bellies. It seemed to take forever to reach the small forest of trees that marked our campsite. We set up right on the edge with the hope that the mosquitos wouldn’t be as bad but I think we didn’t gain much. They have suddenly made an appearance over the last few days now that we’re around a lot more water. They seem to swarm a lot but don’t bite very much – plenty of time for that to change! We are glad to be back in our bags and are anticipating a tough day tomorrow.
– Posted from the PCT
Location:Pct mile 803