Day 43 - Glen Pass

Thursday, May 28

I was on some rocks with my crampons on when one of the tines caught and through me off balance. I landed hard on the sharp rocks. When I got up I felt bruises on my left leg and a twinge in my artificial hip.

That is how Willy described what happened as he was descending the snow field on the north side of Glen Pass. 

Earlier this morning Willy and I had coffee with Jim, the owner of the Independence Inn. After saying our farewells, we were driven to the Onion Valley trail-head by Paul, who runs a shuttle service. We paid him $55, which I thought was expensive, but it was better than trying to hitchhike. 

We were on the trail by 7. The view was beautiful as we passed a small lake.

I want to thank all those who were thinking of me this morning, because I had an amazing amount of endurance hiking up the trail to Kearsarge Pass. I counted switchbacks as I went. There are 55. 

In two hours a lady sitting on a rock in the sun said, "Hello! I'm Olga." I looked up and we were at the pass!  I couldn't believe it! I had figured that it would take us at least four hours. It was a miracle!

We chatted for some time and then headed down the trail towards the Pacific Crest Trail. We joined the PCT at about 11 AM. We now had a decision to make. Should we stop early, or head over Glen Pass?  The pass was just two miles away, but it meant a 1500 foot climb with a descent on the other side over snow. 

We decided to head over the pass. 

I lagged behind on the way up, but noticed a beautiful view.

At the top, we looked down on the Rae Lakes.

I put on my micro-spikes and headed out onto the snowfield while Willy donned his crampons. This is the view of the snowfield from the top.

This is the view as I followed the trail in the snow.

The difficulty on the snow was twofold. One, you didn't want to stumble and slide down the slope into the rocks. Two, you didn't want to "post hole" your leg in the snow. What can happen is you take a step, but the snow is so soft that you sink up to your knee or thigh. It is difficult to pull your leg out, and when you do it leaves a deep hole in the snow. 

I post holed a couple of times and managed to rip open the crotch of my pants. It took over an hour to get off the snowfield and onto the trail below. This is looking back up to the snowfield from the trail below.

I waited almost an hour for Willy to finally show up. And then he told me about his fall on the rocks. He was in pain so we found a campsite near the lake.

This could be a hike ending injury for Willy. He is going to see how it feels tomorrow. If he cannot hike, he may need help to get medical attention. I am really worried about him. 

I am camped at PCT mile 793.7. The elevation here is 10, 535 feet.