Day 4: Crabtree Meadows to Forester Pass, overnight by Bubbs Creek
18.3 miles; 3,951 ft elevation gain; 4,056 ft elevation loss

Today would turn out to be our longest day, with over 18 miles of hiking and 4,000 feet elevation gain and loss. Forester Pass was a high point of our trip - both literally and metaphorically. At 13,153 feet, it’s the highest pass on the JMT and the high point on the PCT. The views in the basin and from the pass are superb, and the final ascent to the pass is a master class in trail construction. When you approach the pass and see where you have to go, you wonder how in the world you’re going to get there. Hats off to whoever scouted this pass and had a vision for a trail - it’s an impressive feat!

But first, we had to get to the pass. We had a long approach from Crabtree Meadows - around 13 miles. The day started off fairly mellow with the first part of the hike to Tyndall Creek, a little over 8.5 miles. We gained only 1,700 feet elevation over this section, with the biggest climb being a 1,000 foot ascent from Wallace Creek to Tyndall Creek. We took a nice lunch break by the water here before continuing on to the pass.

From Tyndall Creek, it was five miles and over 2,200 feet to Forester Pass. Most of the climb was gentle, winding through the basin, where the views kept getting better and better. This was also where we first started to notice some haze from smoke, most noticeably over Shepherd Pass. Up until this point, it had been clear. From here on, we would encounter periodic smoke and haze. (After we left the trail, the smoke worsened significantly further north, and some hikers were exiting the trail because of it.)

We kept marveling at the trail and the scenery as we climbed the final switchbacks. It felt good to finally reach the pass, which sits at the border of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Unfortunately, we were greeted by more smoke and clouds on the other side, so it wasn’t ideal for pictures. (Given the conditions and the threat of rain, my camera stayed in my pack the rest of the day.) The pass itself is small, but we had it mostly to ourselves, along with a pair of Australian hikers. We took turns snapping photos for each other. Although it’s a stunning spot, we didn’t linger - the gathering clouds encouraged us to head down.

The descent offered some lovely views and pretty scenery, but we were more focused on avoiding any storms above treeline and finding a campsite. We knew there were several options on the way down and aimed to reach at least treeline before setting up camp. We ended up going further than planned - over five miles - until we reached a nice site by Bubbs Creek, where it crosses the trail from the east, coming from Golden Bear Lake. We had a pleasant evening chatting with some fellow hikers and called it a night, hoping the smoke wouldn’t be too bad the next day.