October 7

Distance: 22.6 miles | Ascent: 5010′ | Descent: 6460′

Mile marker: 1867.5

Lunch: J – Thai red curry (A), A – sausage stuffing (A)

Dinner: J – egg stir fry (C+), A – chili and rice (B)

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We went over two 12,000′ passes today! The first one, Pinchot Pass, was a mere 2.6 miles from our campsite last night. We woke with the full moon still hanging over the horizon above the lake.

The climb up started cold, but we soon had sun and 800 ft/mile inclines to warm us up. We reached the top of the pass by 8:30.

On the descent, there was an adorable pika munching some brekkie in the grasses.

The valley coming down the south slope was arid and steep. Although we followed a sizable river, the steepness of the valley walls seemed to choke out a lot of vegetation.

We crossed over a bouncy suspension bridge at the bottom before ascending towards Glen Pass.

The valley leading to Glen Pass was dramatically different than our descent from Pinchot. Numerous lakes, a more gentle slope, and more stands of trees gave rise to a completely different ecosystem. The three mile stretch around Rae Lakes might be the prettiest section of trail we had seen all trip. The lakes were crystal clear with lots of trout swimming about.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay at the lake for the rest of the week. The final push up and over the pass was steep. Some sections were >900 ft/mile. And at close to 12,000′ elevation, we were puffing for air as we made the climb. We reached the top about 45 minutes before sunset, and already the air was cold.

We scooted down as fast as our tired and beaten legs would let us. Of course, we stopped to admire a pika who was admiring the view.

We descended by the fading sunlight which was painting the mountains behind us with oranges and pinks.

The long day of ascending and descending, and admiring the stunning scenery meant we arrived to camp in the dark. Forester Pass is tomorrow, then we’re out of the high passes and maybe out of risk for getting snowed in.