Day 8: Kearsarge Lakes to Woods Creek (via Glen Pass)
13.5 miles, 1418 ft elevation gain, 3886 ft elevation loss

Back on the trail today and it was another longer hiking day. We had some easy miles back to the junction where we got back on the JMT. From the junction it was 2.5 miles and 1400 feet up to Glen Pass. Norah and I thought it could also be called Pika Pass as we saw quite a few along the way (adorable as always!). The hike up to the pass had several sections of climbing separated by short, flatter parts where we could catch our breath before the final push of switchbacks. Steve and I had stood in this same spot 15 years ago and it was just as breathtaking the second time. We were fortunate to have fantastic light and the views were amazing - it was probably my favorite pass of the trip.

For the next five miles we would be treated to views of multiple lakes, with a really up close look at Rae Lakes as the trail passes between the two lakes. Fifteen years ago Steve and I did the Rae Lakes loop from the west and camped at Rae Lakes. It’s a beautiful spot and we initially thought we would camp here again, but in the end we decided we wanted to get more miles in for the day to stick to our abbreviated schedule. We were sorry to pass up Rae Lakes, but the trade off was getting to camp at Lake Marjorie and Palisade Lakes, which were both fantastic, so in the end we felt like it was a good deal.

While this section of the trail is very scenic, the sky had clouded up on our descent from Glen Pass, so I didn’t get many pictures on account of the lackluster light. We stopped for breaks at Rae Lakes and Dollar Lake before our final descent to Woods Creek (4 miles, 1700 feet). The valley views on the descent were nicer than we anticipated and we had a pleasant hike down. It was a long way down from Glen Pass though and we were very happy to finally reach Woods Creek and pick a campsite. It was a pretty busy campsite, I think partly because it’s at the junction of the trail to Paradise Valley and Road’s End. Under the trees again, there would be no star gazing tonight, although it didn’t matter much as we were in bed early for our big climb to Pinchot Pass tomorrow (and being lulled to sleep by the rushing creek was a bonus).