John Muir Trail/Mount Whitney - Day 2
Not only were we to go over a pass that is 1000ft higher than the last, but we had to double our mileage from the day before. It would be a long day if we could make it...
We awoke at 7am, 10 hours after we fell asleep, which was immediately after the dinner that followed the 2 hour nap that began when we collapsed in our tent. Winded, dizzy, exhausted, not altitude adapted. After 12 hours of sleep, our bodies must have produced enough red blood cells to make up for the nearly 9000ft of altitude we picked up overnight. We were to press on today, and if we hoped to succeed, our bodies would have to catch up at the acclimatization game. Forester Pass, looming at 13,200ft, is the tallest point on the John Muir Trail, except for Mount Whitney of course. Not only were we to go over a pass that is 1000ft higher than the last, but we had to double our mileage from the day before. It would be a long day if we could make it—one that would have us sleeping 500ft higher by the end of it.
After the switchbacks that cut into the rock at Forester Pass, after lingering atop it to take in the view, after crossing the meadows and valleys below, after walking across a lightning-torn plateau, after descending into a boulder-filled forest, after 11 hours of hiking, we made it to our campsite. It was night. There were no other campers. We set up the tent and cooked a wonderfully large meal. Justin treated his chaffing, and we went to sleep.