Day 55 - Pass Busting

Mile 788.9 to Mile 793.5 - 4.6 miles

Once again, the miles in the PCT don't reflect the effort, remembering I had to walk 7.5 miles & climb Kearsarge Pass again just to get back on trail.
The 4.6 miles in the PCT was brutal though. In this section of the Sierras I'd planned to summit one pass per day & going by today's effort that will be more than enough. Glen Pass is not the highest or longest at 11947 feet but all the recent snow made it trecherous as you can see from the photo north of the summit.

South of the summit wasn't as snowy but it's steep drop made it very dicey

The ascent was going fine until the last 200 metres where switchbacks were covered with snow. This meant a lot of slippage in the afternoon sludge and crawling on all fours at times to avoid the goo. At the top of the summit conditions were atrocious with a viciously cold and gale force wind. This also made balance difficult as the wind would catch the pack & toss you sideways. This got worse as the descent was hampered by soft snow and post-holing (at one stage I had to work for 5 minutes to free my leg). The whole descent was nerve wracking being so slippery and cold. The final destination of Rae Lake couldn't arrive quickly enough

Although at 10750 feet the campsite was sheltered with a view of the imposing Fin Dome across the lake

Earlier in the day I hitched out from Bishop to get back on trail. A climbing couple from Tehachapi Scott & Jody (& Django the dog) took me as far as Independence. Heaving the pack from the car I grabbed the wrong strap and broke a clip which I have jury rigged until I can replace it at Mammoth.
After 45 minutes Max from Keller in his 1980 Mercedes squeezed 4 hikers in to his steed & took us to the trail head by 9.30 am, which was an excellent result.
The trip back along Onion Valley Trail was quite eventful. I met a couple from Wanaka who were hiking the Sierras. At the summit of Kearsarge Pass I bumped into a great hiking duo - Ranger (as a survival skills tutor he knows heaps) & All Smiles (says it all) who I hadn't seen for weeks. A cool couple

On the drop down I ran into part of my original group with Mommy (Jessica), Captain, Tea Time (Ben), Geoff & Daniel heading for the exit. Of the others, Goldfish has caught up & is one day behind me. Topo is 1/2 days ahead I think & Bad Mash?? Banjo was spending 2/3 days in Bishop as he was dog tired.
One last thing. Whomever built the John Muir Trail figured we would one day be all 9 feet tell. The steps used at times would do the Great Well of China proud - lifting your feet above waist height to climb is energy sapping.
Pinchot Pass tomorrow - 3500 feet over 7 miles....Weta