TOP LEFT: Forrester Pass looking Southbound
TOP RIGHT: Lumpy atop Forreter Pass
LOWER LEFT: Forrester Pass final ascent
LOWER RIGHT: Frenchie's destroyed shoes
We break camp and start the long trek up Forrester Pass. We slept at 11k, so we have a difficult, long trek to get us up and over 13k Forrester; we're very hesitant about the storm we received last evening, and try to get a very early start to avoid being the recipient of a mid-afternoon lightning storm exposed high on the mountain. After a few miles of hiking, we have a group rendezvous for lunch. We apportion our remaining protein - some cheese and our last stick of pepperoni - and wish each other luck for the climb (where we'll definitely separate).
You can see the climb from a long ways away; a set of near vertical switchbacks, each one getting tighter and steeper until they disappear over the mountain. These are the hardest mentally to climb, as you can never see the top until you get there, and each step is higher vertically, harder rock-wise, and more exposed. It takes us several hours to make the pass, and the last 100 yards or so were the worst of the trip. You felt like you were free climbing up the mountain, and frankly, it scared the hell out of all of us. Joanna had a panic attack, but the crew talked her down from it, and in the end, she was stronger for it. I'm honestly not sure that the pictures above really do it justice.
Atop the Pass, we run into a gal named Sue whose 60th birthday it was. She was one tough bird, about 4'10", quads like tree trunks, and a real head for backcountry workouts. We all join in for a Happy Birthday salute, and then wish each other good luck on the downstroke. The North side of Forrester is much less gnarly, looser switchbacks for some time, and then we enter into a long, gentle saddle (where two mountains come together). We come upon another small lake, break to re-water, re-tape, and soak our feet, and then finally make treeline for our evening camp. Everyone is now seeing the end of the road, as we have 2 more days of hiking left, we're back into treeline (thus much less at risk, except for those pesky bears), and our packs are noticeably lighter.
Lumpy out
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