Day 53, Two Passes, One Guy

Part 2, The Sierra Nevada, Day 53

Two Passes, One Guy

Miles: 15.6

PCT Mile: 793.5

It's been a crazy week people, so welcome back to the ol' blog. I am writing this week from memory, so there will be more pictures than words, but I'm moving back into cell signal territory soon, so I hope to be able to post blogs nightly again soon.

After watching the mountains get pummeled with snow the last 2 days, I woke up early on Saturday not sure what to do. looking out the window up to the hills, I realized that I couldn't hide from the weather anymore, so I quickly packed up. I saw the owner of the inn, Jim, as I was leaving, and Jim offered to give me a ride up to the Onion Valley Trail head; a huge help, considering other hikers were coughing up $50 bucks for a ride. I got to the trail and started lugging my 50+ pound pack the seven miles up toward Kearsarge Pass. 

I packed way too much food and my pack was digging into my shoulders. Between the weight and the thunder shaking the sky, I wondered if I'd rushed back to the trail too hastily. 

When I reached the top of Kearsarge Pass, I saw the group I'd been hiking around since Kennedy Meadows, and a few hikers I hiked with in the desert. We all had a little reunion and decided to team up for awhile right there. With a week of thunder and snow storms and many high passes, it seemed like a safe thing to do, and I liked these people. 

There was Shepherd, from Australia, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or as I call them, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, from Denver, Barely, from Tuscon, KC, from Kansas City, Zig Zag, from New Zealand, Hummingbird, from Australia, and Teflon, from Portland. I felt relieved to know I wouldn't be going up into the weather by myself, and I hiked with a renewed sense of confidence. After returning to the PCT, our first goal was Glen Pass; notorious for it's steep and snowy slopes.

The sky grew angrier the higher up we hiked. 

I waited at the base of Glen Pass for the others, and the thunder started to boom above me. I grew very anxious and was about to push on alone when Barely, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith showed up. They too were nervous about crossing a pass in a storm, so we waited a bit hoping it would pass. The skies grew darker, and we decided to go up while there was still a window. A steep climb later, I gained the pass and looked down upon the snow covered slope. 

The scene was ridiculously cool. The path was non existent, covered in snow, and the drop was nearly vertical. 

I put on my spikes and grabbed my poles and went off onto the slope to make a path. I was very careful, and it was so much fun, as I was filled with adrenaline. Going down really made me feel alive. Here's a look down; way down;

There were a few dodgy moments, and it began to snow halfway down, but we made it safely to the bottom. Even in this weather, the scenery was stunning, as we approached the beautiful Rae Lakes.

During this difficult stretch of the Sierra, hikers usually do one high pass a day, so it's good to plan your camp sites each day, and since we had 9 people in our group, we had to look for big areas with lots of tent sites. Luckily, Mr. And Mrs. Smith are great at planning, cause I never had never had to do it. It rained when we got to camp, and as the day grew cooler, the rain turned to snow. Barely informed us that a bear and two cubs were nearby, and a few others even got pictures, but I missed out. 

We all ate dinner together and it was fun. The sky briefly cleared up, which had neat effects. 

I'm around some good, fun people, and there are not many other hikers around. So many hikers either quit because of the weather, or took a bus straight to Mammoth, skipping the High Sierras. We are here and loving it though, and it's a new experience traveling with others. We'll see how it goes.