Mt. Whitney & more sights; days 49-51

Day 49: Crabtree Meadow Ranger Station, to Wallace Creek, 19.5 miles
Day 50: Wallace Creek to PCT mile 787.9, 17.6 miles
Day 51: PCT mile 787.9 to 802.6, 15.3 miles

Day 49 was the day of Mt. Whitney. In short it was an awesome hike. We saw our first marmots, passed some gorgeous lakes and cliffs, and got to the top for lunch. I’ll let the pictures do the storytelling here:

We hiked down, and packed-up our tent site (it was nice to carry a little pack up such a big mountain), and continued on a few miles to ford a stream and call it a day.

The next day had more climbing in store for us, as we climbed Forester Pass; the highest point of the PCT at 13,118 feet. The pass can be difficult, as there is a snowy traverse across a steep mountain section; but when we got there it was passable without any special equipment. We put on our microspikes, which are like mini-crampons, to be safe though!

At the top of the pass we entered Kings Canyon National Park. Everyone talks about how difficult the pass can be, but they forget to mention how gorgeous Kings Canyon is- it is my new favorite National Park!

We dropped a lot of elevation to get down to Vidette Meadow, where we were surprised to find the Vidette Meadow trail angels. They come out one weekend a year to feed hikers, and we much appreciated the cheese quesadillas and Oreos! 

Day 51 brought another pass, Glen pass, which was stunning. The hike up was a bit snowy, and we found it slow going to get to the top. The views were well worth it though! 

Afterwards we went swimming in Rae Lake, and hiked a shorter day as our legs were feeling all the climbing we’d been doing! We set-up camp, and rested up for the next day which held not one, but two passes! About those in the next post!