Day 63: Forester Pass
June 6; Mile 770-788
I woke at 5 that morning so that I would get to the pass when the snow was firm enough to glissade. I crossed several large creeks – Wallace, Wright, Tyndall – and thankfully they were all low enough to cross by rock hopping. The trail climbed up to a wide-open plateau with incredible views and zero shade. I took a breakfast break upon a granite boulder with the horizon full of jagged peaks.
The trail descended back into the trees, and I passed a rabbit the size of a house cat. I walked through several meadows with ribbons of sparkling snowmelt weaving throughout, and then I reached the first large snow crossing. The sun had pocked the surface of the snow so that it looked scalloped. As I climbed higher I got my first view of Forester Pass – even though I mistakenly thought it was the pass on the right (marked on my map as Ski Mountaineers Pass).
At 13,200’ Forester Pass is the highest point on the PCT. In high snow years the trail can remain choked with ice where it crosses an avalanche chute, and ice axes and spikes/crampons are a necessity. But even in a low snow year the pass is formidable – a tiny chink high above in the impenetrable wall of granite. And snow isn’t the only danger; sadly a PCT hiker had succumbed to severe altitude sickness at the pass a week before. I hadn’t known her, but some of my friends had hiked with her and even met her parents at a town stop earlier in the hike.
I met a group at the base of the climb and started up after them. The switchbacks weren’t terrible, but with my fully loaded pack it felt harder than climbing Mt. Whitney. The trail wrapped around the chute where a chunk of ice clung to the rocks above, and before I knew it I was at the pass. Two other hikers, Zelda and Banana Boy, were hanging out at the top, and we all took pictures together before the descent. Determined to glissade, I took out my ice axe and clambered over the snow to one of the glissade tracks. The snow was soft in the noon sun, and I slid down in slow motion. The other two joined me and whooped and hollered their way down the mountain.
At the bottom of the track I stood up and immediately postholed through the soft snow past my knee. It was going to be a long, slow climb down.
I worked my way over to the melted out rocks and scrambled downward, but my shoes and socks were already soaked. The three of us ate lunch below the pass to let our clothes dry out. We were all running low on water, and so we melted snow in order to make lunch.
I began the hike down toward the frozen lake, and as I looked back I was treated to a rainbow above Forester Pass. The views were truly majestic. I stopped often: to soak in the scenery, to find the trail amidst the snow and rocks, to rest my fatigued legs.
By the time I reached Bubbs Creek I was shuffling from exhaustion and scooted across the log crossing. A mile before my intended camp spot I ran into Joy. As I headed up the steep incline I regretted passing up her camp spot. But it was worth the extra effort: from inside my tent I had a perfect view south toward Kearsarge Pinnacles, East Vidette, and West Vidette. All three peaks were bathed in pink light as the sun slipped behind the horizon. I watched the alpenglow from inside my sleeping bag before drifting off to sleep.
12 Comments
Ray
Congrats on an epic milestone for your trek, Karen. Sobering to learn how even experienced hikers can be struck down by Mother Nature’s exacting requirements. Take care on your footsteps ahead!
Dov
I like the composition of the cover photo with you glissading. It looks like you’re canoeing down some whitewater rapids. All of these photos are just fantastic! This seems like a very picturesque section of trail. All the vistas are majestic with a stark, rugged beauty. Plus there’s more alpenglow! Your prose is so vividly descriptive, too.
It’s so, so good to hear that you weren’t badly affected by the altitude. It’s a real danger, but you know the symptoms and the treatments, and it sounds like you were in good company in case of an emergency. Hike well, and keep making such excellent blog posts!
chasingalpenglow
Aww thank you!!
Sheila
I agree that each of these epic days fully merit their own blog post! We led a CHS hike today and, of course, talked about you 🙂 Hike on!
Sheila
p.s. We hiked up Perry Creek today, and I was just looking at photos from the Perry Creek hike in June 2018 and you were with us on that one! so fun to see you in those old pictures!
chasingalpenglow
Yay! That was my first ever bear encounter!
Norene Lewis
So, now that you’ve made it through Forester Pass… it’s “all downhill” from here? (ha, ha) Keep those spirits up, Karen; every post of your lifts ours.
chasingalpenglow
Gosh, if only 😉
peggy
Yay, you got to glissade !! I’ve carried an ice ax on a few ventures with Bob and never tolerated the altitude enough to actually make use of it, so I’m very happy for you ! The photo of your view from the tent is beautiful. Am very much enjoying your posts.
chasingalpenglow
Thank you! Glissading is one of my favorite outdoor activities
Ann
That’s a beautiful shot of the Alpenglow. And an 18 mile day with a 13000ft pass thrown in for good measure? That’s just amazing. Love your descriptive posts.
chasingalpenglow
I’ll be leading it as a CHS grad hike next year…Jk. Speaking of which, hope you’re enjoying leading trips this year!