13.7 miles
We started a bit late (I needed the sleep), around 8 am with a stream crossing and climbing up a meadow with deer into a rocky valley with icey pools and water running down the trail. I lost count of the number of snow fields we crossed. Looked like wet feet all day.
 |
| Alex and T-Rex |
Forrester pass! The highest point on the pct! 13100ish. Not that sketchy
at all really. It was a more exhilarating than scary. We met some
hikers on the other side of the pass glaciating down a hundred feet or
so
 |
| Snow chute on Forester Pass |
They showed us how it was done and we joined the pack of hikers whooping
and hollering down the north side of the pass. The whole valley was
full of cheers and laughter and very happy hikers. The snow was perfect
all day, not quite yet a post holing disaster and not super icy either.
If you fell you just kind of plopped and didn't slide. I postholed a
few times today but it wasn't often enough to be frustrating and it was
warm enough out that wet feet weren't miserable.
We stopped at Lake at mile 780.8 at 12044 feet after doing 6 miles and
jumped in next to a nice blue iceberg, then ate some lunch, dried
our socks and sat around for a while.
 |
| The water is as warm as it looks... |
 |
| Post holing is extra fun when you post hole right into a snow melt river! |
The trail dropped down into a breathtaking valley, so
lush and green and full of pretty little streams that made me think
about dinosaurs and gingerbread houses.
The
mosquitos were massive and ruthless all evening. I discovered my
windpants and wind jacket are mosquito proof which is awesome and makes
life in a horde of mosquitoes much better. They were so thick I had to
be careful not to inhale too quickly or they'd end up in my mouth/nose
(which did happen, gross).
 |
| Green Bean said there was a bear here last night |
