Day 54, Ass Kicker Pass

Part 2, The Sierra Nevada, Day 54

Ass Kicker Pass

Miles: 17.78

PCT Mile: 811.28
(for some reason, this day is NOT in chronological order))

We woke up to a freezing morning. Tents were frozen, as were shoes, and pretty much anything left outside. I was as cold as I've been so far on this hike, but thankfully I bought that second base layer in Lone Pine, because it really helped keep me somewhat warm. I slept like a log; maybe 9 hours of sleep. It was glorious. I packed up my soaking tent and set out to find the sun. It was a clear, beautiful day.

The crystal clear waters of Rae Lakes shined like a magnificent mirror, reflecting the towering mountains that guarded the valley. It was hard to tell where the land ended and the water began.

I hiked gently downhill all morning through this valley, with water cascading through it from every direction. The sun peaked out and I dried my tent and ate breakfast near a creek. 

Not the finest breakfast, but it gets the job done:

With my tent dry, I continued to descend down to the valley floor. It was like walking through an outdoor wonderland, with something gorgeous to look at in every direction. 

I found Shepherd and Hummingbird when I got down to the basin, and the others arrived a bit later. I crossed this cool suspension bridge that creaked and swayed, only one person allowed on it at a time. 

Right after we crossed the bridge, this sign appeared on the trail:

800 miles down. Somebody spent a lot of time on this. The uphill started here and would continue for hours. It was the beginning of the climb to Pinchot Pass.

I needed to fuel up, so I stopped for lunch. Let's see what we got today...

Looks like some sort of tortilla deal. 

Not bad, considering the other in my group were eating cake frosting out of the can. I continued uphill towards Pinchot. It was 13 miles from camp to the summit, and holy hell was it tough.

This pass didn't have a dramatic summit like Glen Pass or Forrester Pass. It had a series of false summits, which was annoying. Eventually I reached the snow fields. 

The final push up the rocky pass was so hard, and my legs felt like stones. Shepherd, who's adventured in 48 different countries, said this was the most exhausted he could recall being. He had an easier time climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

The views at the top were stunning though. We sat at the top for awhile waiting for everyone to arrive. I was freezing cold up there, and no jacket could warm me, so I started to descend just to keep warm.

Here's today's marmot:

The clouds started to gather and the temps dropped. I prepared for bad weather. It was a downhill march the rest of the day. 

I finally made it to camp before dark, my legs and shoulders aching badly, but it was a great place to camp. We are dinner together and socialized for awhile, talking about the difficult, but rewarding day. 

I read for awhile then passed out from exhaustion with sound of flowing water filling the valley floor.