After climbing Mt Whitney Wednesday morning I returned to my camp for some food and sleep. Around 3:00 that afternoon I packed up and hiked on another 10 miles down the trail. Since I had added an extra day to get to Whitney I wanted to get in whatever miles I could, and also move a little closer to the passes I would cross the next day.
The first pass was Forester, also the highest pass I would cross, at over 13,000 feet. Approaching it was like walking up to a huge wall. Way up the side you can see a small V in the ridge that looks impossible to get to with any sort of a trail. I didn't get a good picture of it (with my phone) from lower down the valley, but here's one looking up at it from below, then the view on the other side.
Most of the passes tend to have more snow on the climb down, since that side faces North. But with the lack of snow this year and the warm weather, there wasn't much to worry about. There were large drifts here and there and patches 150-200 feet across. There would either be ways to walk around them, hopping across big boulders or loose rock, or they'd be well travelled over and solid enough to walk across.
Forester Pass was the first of two passes that day. The second was Glen Pass. The climb up Glen Pass wasn't as steep and the view from the top was the best view in the entire trip that far. The first picture is looking back from the top, the next two are the view on the other side. These pictures will not do it justice by a long shot; the drop into the valley below, surrounded by mountains and full of lakes was breathtaking. I camped that night on the far side of the Rae Lakes partway down the valley.
The first pass was Forester, also the highest pass I would cross, at over 13,000 feet. Approaching it was like walking up to a huge wall. Way up the side you can see a small V in the ridge that looks impossible to get to with any sort of a trail. I didn't get a good picture of it (with my phone) from lower down the valley, but here's one looking up at it from below, then the view on the other side.
Forester Pass was the first of two passes that day. The second was Glen Pass. The climb up Glen Pass wasn't as steep and the view from the top was the best view in the entire trip that far. The first picture is looking back from the top, the next two are the view on the other side. These pictures will not do it justice by a long shot; the drop into the valley below, surrounded by mountains and full of lakes was breathtaking. I camped that night on the far side of the Rae Lakes partway down the valley.
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