The view south from Forester
Pass.
The view north from
Forester Pass.
(If you go real fast
between this picture
and the one above,
its JUST like a
panorama.
Scott poses with the signage.
Look, Mom, no gloves!
Not ANOTHER picture
of someone posing with
signage...but I though
seeing me in my balaclava
would be worth it. And
I'm sporting my new
sock-glove.
The Rae Lakes viewed from Glen
Pass.
We continued up Forester Pass. The cliff face was so sheer that the switchbacks were blasted into the rock. The view from the top was both beautiful and intimidating as we were confronted with tall craggy peaks. We ate our breakfast at the summit and shortly, were joined by two JMT hikers coming south. (One was wearing really dirty white long underwear bottoms, which made us feel really clean comparably. We both jockeyed for position to get to stand next to her so we would look better.) They gave us news of the condition of the other passes we would climb. Most passes were fairly free of snow except for Muir Pass, which still had a least a mile of snow on each side of the pass-something to look forward to.
We headed down the mountain through small, yet icy, patches of snow. On the way down, we got in argument which resulted in us hiking far apart for most of the morning. (Say it isn't so guys! I'm sorry, I cannot tell a lie.) [Ironically, the argument was about the fact that we were hiking too far apart -Scott] I wondered if we would end up in the same situation that Bob and Jane found themselves in. (the couple we had met in the San Jacintos) They had gotten in an argument the year before near Yosemite and were hiking apart. Bob was ahead and accidentally got off on the wrong trail. He retraced his steps back to the correct trail and continued, thinking that Jane was still somewhere behind. He hiked slower and slower, waiting for her to catch up,-but she never did. Then he was met by several different groups of hikers who all carried the same message; "Are you Bob? Jane's up ahead of you!"
(Bob and Jane are kindred spirits...nothing makes a hiking experience like a little fighting, the silent treatment, and even a few head butts if the situation warrents it.)
As I hiked around a bend, I saw Scott talking with 2 other hikers and when I approached, we both played nicey-nice with each other saying, "It's great we could do this hike together!" and other false things. After they moved on, Scott even forgot himself and asked jovially if I was ready to move on, but then remembered and hiked on without waiting for my response. Eventually, however, we made up. [It was either make-up or go hungry since Amy was carrying the lunches. -Scott]
Later that day, on the way to Glen Pass, we ran into Ranger #2, reclining on a rock at a trail junction shooting the breeze with another hiker. We hoped his relaxed attitude would bode well for us and it did. After digesting Scott's complete and unedited URSACK spiel, he, too, expressed doubts regarding the success of the product but let us go on our way.
We continued up and over Glen Pass and hiked down to the beautiful Rae Lakes in the basin below. As we approached the lakes, we noticed a sign containing bear safety information and asking backpackers to please use the bear boxes provided at the lakes. It was signed by "Ranger Rick-the Rae Lakes Ranger." As it was late, we camped in the area and followed the rules. The mosquitoes were fierce and we set up the tent and barely escaped being eaten alive.