Vidnette meadow campground at Bubbs creek - campground at rope bridge
Mile 786 - 800
Total 14 miles
Today I got up early at first light at the "Upper Vidnette Meadow" campsite and headed out on trail through forest and along the roaring stream. After one mile I'm surprised by the Mexico, USA and Canada flags above trail. There's a checkpoint and the trail angels - very kind people who help PCT hikers are making hot coffee on the fire. They also have delicious tortillas with jam, and sweet potatoes. I meet again the hikers Makeshift and Helen Keller and more old friends from trail. And also they have postcards! Thanks to Smiley who set this all up. And the biggest thanks belong to the mules who hauled the heavy food all the way up the canyon.
After eating 7 tortillas I almost fly up to the next saddle through forest with dark green fern and view of sharp peaks on other side of valley. In the saddle is a junction with an escape route over Kearsarge pass towards the town of Independence. Some hikers choose to take the escape route to go to the trailhead, hitchhike to town and buy more food resupply; I choose to stay in the wilderness of the high Sierras and continue hiking towards the second of the seven high elevation mountain passes on the PCT: Glen Pass.
On the climb to Glen Pass the trail goes high above sky blue lakes, past perfect campsites, through snowfields and fields of wildflowers.
Higher up the pass, one of the higher elevation glacial lakes has ice on it, firm enough that you could still go skating there early in the morning.
Looking down on the other (north) side of Glen Pass, more snow covered peaks and ice covered lakes can be seen. Getting up here felt much easier than yesterday 's Forrester Pass- probably due to much smaller elevation gain, and also thanks to the extra energy from the seven tortillas :-)
After sliding - or as hikers say "glissading" down the final snowfield, I see first trees and continue descending to the turquoise blue Rae Lakes. Water is flowing everywhere on trail and my shoes are full of water too.
It is early afternoon when I reach Lower Rae Lake. This beautiful lake is not as ice cold, it has plenty of little islands and hidden off-trail spots for naked swimming. After a swim I take a very long break on one of the rock boulders, and share tea with another hiker "Jazzez" who's trying to catch some fish (I secretly hope he's not too successful with the fishing :-)
After the Lower Rae Lake there are more lakes, deep streams, and green lush forest, meadows and wetlands. If it were not for the steep mountain slopes in the background, some of the wetlands would have looked just like in Finland.
On-the-go trail there are numerous stream crossings - some streams are crossed comfortably on logs, while for others wading through knee-deep to waist-deep water is necessary. Hoards of bloodthirsty mosquitoes wait at the fords for hikers changing their shoes and take every opportunity to strike and bite.
Below 10,000 ft (3100 m) elevation the plant life becomes richer and much more abundant: There are ferns, aspens (just like in Utah), and also some sequoias. The trees are much taller and the forest is much denser on the nutrient rich soil of the stream alluvial valley plain.
The sun is starting to hide behind the mountain peaks when a nice cozy campsite appears. I Talk and chat with other backpackers who are sitting around a fire, and join them camping under sequoias, at the sound of a roaring mountain stream and close to a rope bridge at about 8500 ft elevation. Tomorrow we'll climb up to 12,000 feet again to the next pass: Pinchot Pass.
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