What a day! 8 miles, over Avalanche Pass at 10,097’ and down to Roaring River. We got up early as we knew we had a big climb and long day. The trail up to Avalanche pass was in the trees and very steep at times. Water was scarce but we filled up our water bottles from a small trace of running water and arrived at the pass around 11 am. Unlike some more spectacular mountain passes in the Sierra, Avalanche Pass was really just a large flat area and still below tree line even at 10,000 feet. Once there, we exchanged high-fives, ate lunch, and rested a bit. The altitude was still affecting all of us.
Avalanche Pass – 10,097′
Continuing down the trail on the other side, we had a long way to go yet. The trail was often exposed and we were now running out of water. However, after studying the map we searched for and found a tiny “creek” about two 2 miles down … really just a puddle where the seasonal trickle of water had not yet dried up. We filled up, had another snack, and continued on down. The trail eventually leveled out, but we had a couple more miles through the arid Moraine Meadows before reaching the next hurtle, Moraine Ridge. The switchbacks down the Ridge were steeply graded and occasional steps making our knees ache some more.
Once down the ridge and through a meadow we crossed a bridge over Roaring River to a USFS ranger hut. Due to Covid-19, all the backcountry ranger stations were unmanned. This location was normally frequented by horse pack groups and so it had an established camp site above the river with a steel bear box, fire pit, and benches. Great site … we were exhausted!
Journeys with Jeff and Ellen 