Day 6: Kearsarge Lakes to Woods Creek via Glen Pass
13.7 miles; 1,882 ft elevation gain; 4,275 ft elevation loss

On the morning of Day 6, we retraced our steps to rejoin the John Muir Trail and continue north, pausing along the way at Bullfrog Lake to admire the early morning reflections. From the junction, we had less than three miles and 1,500 feet to climb to Glen Pass. Glen Pass, one of the higher passes on the JMT at 11,926 feet, is one of my favorites - the views are fantastic!

Up to this point my knee had been feeling a little uncomfortable, mainly on the downhills. Today was the day it started to hurt and made me question whether I could finish the trail. The long descent from Glen Pass to Woods Creek—8.75 miles and 3,700 feet down—didn’t help.

Thankfully, the scenery was a nice distraction. Between Glen Pass and the beautiful lakes, including the popular Rae Lakes, I think this is one of the most scenic days on the trail. Our first backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada was the Rae Lakes Loop back in 2002, and it was fun to reminisce about this trip while hiking through the same area several decades later.

The mountain views continued as we descended. I had plenty of time to admire them, as I had significantly slowed down because of my knee. Once we were back below treeline, we could see signs of avalanche damage from the historic 2022–2023 winter. That year, the snowpack reached 252% of normal, and the trail was a mess when Steve hiked the JMT in late summer 2023 - bridges were washed out, water crossings were more difficult, high passes still held snow, and avalanche debris blocked sections of trail. It was definitely an adventure!

Since I was moving slowly, I told Steve to go ahead to Woods Creek and set up camp. I was very happy to see our tent when I finally rolled in. Woods Creek is a popular campsite and it was busy in the evening. We walked over to the suspension bridge, and Steve pointed out where the water had reached in 2023 - Woods Creek had flooded its banks, turning the crossing into a serious challenge that deterred many hikers. Fortunately, we didn’t have to deal with any water or snow this year—just a bum knee. :(