Tuesday of two passes: the walk

Today’s goal was to complete two passes in one day. It’s a pretty ambitious goal for the Sierra, but I know we can achieve it. I am lucky to have fallen into the group of international hikers. Everyone is very friendly and when they found out that I was more or less walking alone, they welcomed me without asking questions.

We arrived at Pinchot Pass early in the day. There was some snow, but overall it didn’t seem like a very technical pass. I didn’t have to take out my microspikes or even put snow baskets on my poles. And the view was incredible, as it has been on all these steps. The group decided to walk at our own pace and then meet at the lowest point of the descent for lunch.

At our lunch spot there was a stream perfect for swimming and a huge rock perfect for lying on. I had lunch lying in the sun on the rock. I took this time to talk to a lot of hikers I met in passing, but haven’t had much conversation with. I learned more about Dromedary and Birdman, both from Seattle, and Bubbles, from Norway. We finished lunch to continue the hike and decided to take a break to regroup at the last water source about a mile before the top of the next pass.

I am enjoying hiking with this equipment. Everyone seems to communicate well and really care about each other. It’s nice that they choose little landmarks for everyone to gather around throughout the day. I arrived at the lake around 3:00 and had a snack while the rest of the group arrived. I was nervous about the next step.

Scratch & Sniff, who was ahead of me, sent a message as he finished the descent from Mather Pass. He said the descent was a bit technical, with a lot of rock climbing and slushy fields to cross. He sent the following advice:
1. In the snow, step with your heels.
2. On the rock, store your spikes and poles.
3. On a rock, slide on your butt or take off your backpack to make it easier to descend.

Your advice was helpful. There was a lot of rock climbing and what even felt more like rock climbing. Normally I would be excited to do something like this, but with a heavy backpack pulling me I was afraid. Dromedary and Bubbles stayed very close to me. I’m not sure if there was a better way to go, but it seemed like we took the more technical route and had a hard time finding the trail because it was covered in snow.

At one point, I had my fingers wedged in a crack above me and my toes wedged into the small edge of a rock. I felt stuck. Dromedario held out his hand for me to grab and helped me down to the next ledge. I cried because of what a nice gesture it was and how kind they were to stay by my side knowing that I was so worried about this pass. I told them I owe a round or two at the brewery when we get into town.

I couldn’t have been happier to have made it through that pass and through the snow. We walked about 2 more kilometers until we reached the camp. There are many familiar faces here tonight. I’m glad everyone arrived safely. And I’m proud of myself for making it through what might have been the most difficult and technical terrain on the trail, but with minimal tears, growing friendships, and a newfound respect for route-finding.

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