June 25th Tyndall Creek to Rae Lakes

We knew when we woke up today that it was going to be a big day. We had aspirations of trying to bag the 2 most dangerous mountain passes on the PCT in one day. We were told that it was possible by the park rangers, but it definitely went against the usual convention of doing one pass per day.

The approach to Forester Pass was relatively easy - just a short 5 mile hike from where we camped last night. We were in a large group of people leaving Tyndall Creek in the morning. We were happy to have others for safety assistance with route finding since some of the trail was still under snow.

We had heard that there was one sketchy part of the trail on the south side of the pass. Sure enough, as we got closer, we knew exactly where it was. There was a 20 feet patch of snow that traversed hight up on a chute that was shaded by the sun. Sure enough it was still quite icy when we hit the chute ~9:30am. Hatman was the first to cross - brave soul that he was. However, he admitted the snow was sketchy and even he was scared.

Everyone started to build up right before the chute. Out of character, I decided to go next. However I used my microspikes, which gave me the traction and confidence to get safely across.

Thank goodness for the microspikes. Tom went next with both microspikes and an ice axe. He helped widen the foot steps with his ice axe to allow safer travel for everyone else. Luckily everyone eventually made it across and we celebrated up top with a big group picture.



Transcriber's note: Photo blatenly stolen from CanaDoug's Journal

Tom and I led the group down the other side. Although much more snow on the north side, the snow was softening up and the exposure was not as extreme. We even lucked out with a short glissade which was fun.

While others in the group enjoyed a chilly dip in a partially frozen tarn, Tom & I hurried on - aiming for our next pass - Glen Pass 12.5 miles away.

We made good time through the valley between the 2 passes. The terrain fairly well graded. However, we had a big climb going up to Glen Pass. Storm clouds started to form, which made us hurry a little more.

The approach to Glen Pass was relatively hidden. So we kept climbing for what seemed forever - not knowing for sure where we were headed. Luckily, we met a nice guy, Mark, near the top. He was familiar with Glen Pass and was able to point us to the Pass. We agreed to go through the pass all together - once again for safety. Glen pass' tricky section was on the north side - a very steep long traverse. To make matters worse, the storm clouds were quickly approaching and we heard a clap of thunder just as we reached the pass.

Although cautious, we tried to move quickly over the steep travers and then eventually had to scramble down to Rae Lakes. Fortunately we managed to make it down to Rae Lakes and set up our tent before it started raining. After a quick dinner we immediately crashed - exhausted from a tough technical day of climbing.