Mile 767.5 to 779.8 – 12.3 miles total hiked on PCT

I woke up with the sun rising behind Mount Whitney. I decided that I wasn’t going to climb up it this time since I’ve already climbed it four times before. Seemed a shame since it was so close, but I was here for hiking the PCT.

So the main goal of this day would be to get as close to Forster Pass as possible. Pretty straightforward day, if a bit long.

After leaving Crabtree Meadow, I finished the last couple of miles to where the PCT joined the John Muir Trail.

This was also the end of the PCT California section G.

After climbing through some nice meadows and forests, I reached Bighorn Basin. This was one of my favorite parts on this part of the trail since it had such a wide view of everything around it.

Like other passes, Forester Pass tended to hide itself to keep people guessing how far it was still to go to reach it.

That tiny bit of snow in the picture above might be the trickiest part of going up the south side of Forester passe. I’ll find out tomorrow morning.

So I ended up sleeping at the base of the switchbacks leading to Forester Pass.