Forester Pass

We left camp by 6am, getting out ahead of the other hikers camped near us at Tyndall Creek. It was only a few miles to the pass, and we wanted to eat breakfast on the high point if we could. The trail climbs slowly up into a kind of rocky funnel. It has Diamond Mesa to the east, Caltech Peak to the west, and a wall of granite to the north. The ‘wall’ is actually the Kings Kern Divide. The only way to exit the natural dead end that it forms is up and over Forester Pass.

On the way to the funnel we were greeted by lots of yellow-bellied marmots. They were out in force, clearly loving the early morning rays. They weren’t too bothered by us as we passed by. They have thick coats, but it’s still amazing to me that they can survive up here. At 12,000 feet, even at the height of summer the nights are still brutally cold. Memorials along the trail remind us that it was cut from the rock using hand-held tools almost a hundred years ago. Thanks to these gutsy folks, who had nothing ultra-light or ultra-insulating, this incredible trail exists. So it’s not only the size of the rocks that gave me a sense of awe. The 19-year-old Donald Downs and the size of his undertaking was also pretty inspiring.

From the bottom of the wall, it took about 45 minutes to get to the crest. It was a straightforward hike up and much easier than we expected. Of course, we had no snow or ice or even wind to deal with.

We had the pass to ourselves for a little while. We picked out a sunny view spot, positioned our sleeping mats, and enjoyed our breakfast amongst the rocks. Mum had made us “Barry Pinder Specials” in honor of my Grandpa. He builds an oats and granola breakfast mix, then supercharges it with all kinds of bowel-scraping additions. Psyllium husks, hemp hearts, chia seeds, grape nuts, and turmeric are all thrown in. My Mum also piles on her own awesome extras, like walnuts, candied ginger, dried apricot, and toasted coconut. It’s a breakfast fit for kings!

The trail winds down in a series of switchbacks on the northern side. Thankfully we had no post-holing to do, but I wished there would have been enough snow to glissade. A butt-surf down the northern side of Forester Pass would have been fun. Towering behind us was Junction Peak, a medieval-looking tower of granite. It seemed to be itching for some ravens to circle it. I loved it there.

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