Day 110 Thurs Oct 12th
King’s River & Tent site -Tent site (5 Bear box)
1842.3 – 1859.7
Approx. 4288 ft ascent 3901 ft descent
17.5 Miles
It was hard getting out of bed today as it was so cold outside.
Making breakfast we realised the water in our bottles was frozen and it was a good job that we kept our water filters safely tucked up inside our tent.
Packing up our house today was hard with frozen fingers and toes and it was good to get moving on the trail.
We faced a number of creek crossings today. For the first time ice lay upon some of the boulders that we would normally rock hop over, making us nervous about the crossing.
In the end we found a large tree which offered a safer route over the creek.
It was so cold the icicles were forming off of some of the fallen trees in the creek producing interesting shaped ice sculptures.
We’ve got 4 miles today to get up to the top of Pinchot pass.
Following this we have Glen pass the plan is to try and do both today, which will put us in good shape to get to Kearsage pass tomorrow and then out into Bishop.
In sheltered areas frost remained and the ground still frozen. But it wasn’t long before we entered Meadows bathed in sunlight and any memory of the cold start was erased.
We entered the King’s canyon national park walking past yet more snow covered peaks.
We walked past Lake Marjorie. A large alpine lake which is flat calm like a mirror.
Today we’ll be over 12,000 feet again + I’m finding it hard to catch my breath, so Sarah gave me an aspirin to help.
It almost makes you feel claustrophobic not being able to catch your breath.
The last 2 miles up should have been easy as we had fresh legs. However a combination of the altitude and the number of steps we had to deal with really took its toll this morning and it was hard work.
We often had to stop every few minutes to catch our breaths before carrying on. Maybe because it’s colder today, or maybe the air is thinner?
The views south from the top of Pinchot are similar to yesterday. Although it looks more boggy and marshy below.
On our descent we walked down Kings Canyon. With a fast flowing raging river to our left called Woods Creek.
Dropping in elevation from 12,500 ft to 8,500 ft spread over 9 miles.
As we look ahead the sky seems hazy, but we can still make out the outline of ghostly looking monoliths.
Unfortunately hiking down the mountain involves walking over a lot of jumbled rock which isn’t ideal for Sarah’s poor foot.
It also requires a lot of concentration, as I nearly trip and fall whilst holding my phone recording this.
We’ve looked on Far Out and it appears Kearsage pass is not as far away as we first thought. Approximately 14 miles.
This is good news and means after Glen pass we can take this side trail and exit the Sierras to resupply sooner than expected.
Around 15:00 we pull in for a break and I rustle up some Ramen noodles with some extra peanut butter and cashew nuts.
It was a poor man’s attempt at a pad thai, but tasted pretty damn good.
We descended through a maze of vegetation. Through aspen and ferns all showing signs of the change in season, burning orange, yellow and brown.
The water was clear and pristine and Woods Creek raged to our left running through the canyon and across granite bald like a water park.
Over the sound of the water plummeting down the mountain you can make out the sound of some small birds. Sarah commented how lovely it was.
As we start the 9 mile climb to the top of Glen pass we leave the comfort of a sunny creek and start to walk into cooler mountains where the sun doesn’t reach.
Similar to before we experience a lot of avalanche damage at the start of the climb and lose count of how many fallen trees we gave to negotiate.
Some trees had even been carried down the mountain as there was no evidence of their root systems or where they had grown. Just emphasising the power of nature.
Despite this natural obstacle course and a lot of cussing and cursing we managed to make it through and pushed on into the night.
The next water source before the camp spot appeared to be dry. It took some detective work listening out for water and following its source before we found the creek. Sarah disturbed a decent sized trout as she collected water. The ground around us covered in a thick frost.
We finally pulled into a tentsite near Rae lakes overlooking Fin dome.
There was a designated bear box and a number of sheltered spots.
Once again the camp chores went seamlessly. We are getting pretty good at this and working well as a team.
Surprising although it might be freezing cold when you go into overdrive mode setting up camp you somehow seem to keep warm.
Hiking uphill on tired legs at the end of the day isn’t ideal, but at least we were warm. Opposed to the previous night where we were hiking downhill in the dark freezing cold.
We were both very glad to jump into our warm sleeping bags after a hard day in the office. We are looking forward to a well-deserved rest in Bishop + fingers crossed we can get over Kearsarge pass tomorrow to the trailhead and get a ride in.
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