Woods Creek Bridge to 3.8 miles north of Forester Pass

I had a sound sleep thanks to the pleasant sound of Woods Creek bubbling next to my tent. As I packed up and crossed Woods Creek Bridge, I saw that the tent city was just starting to stir. Food bags were hanging from trees (illegal) and Leave No Trace (LNT) practices were definitely not being followed by everyone. I hope the rangers start cracking down on heavily traveled routes, such as the Rae Lakes Loop, but I won’t hold my breath.

The 6.8 mile climb to Rae Lakes started after the bridge, but it was gradual, and I was happy to do it in the cool of early morning. The deer were out in little meadows along the trail. It was idyllic.

As I started to approach the Arrowhead Lake outlet, I passed some phenomenal campsites. If I come back this way, they will definitely be high on my list of places to camp.

The outlet was so picturesque I had to risk getting wet and rock hopped into the middle to grab one of my favorite shots of the trip. As I approached Rae Lakes, the Fin Dome, a distinctive granite formation, stood tall like a sentinel. The reason this destination is so popular was immediately clear. This is a little slice of heaven.

Fin Dome in June during my 2017 PCT thruhike.

I stopped and soaked my sun burnt legs in the upper lake and then carried on with the climb to Glen Pass. It was just 2 miles to the top of the pass from the lake.

Northern view from Glen Pass during my 2017 PCT thruhike.

The climb was nice and it leveled off in several spots. There was water on the way up too, but none once I reached the switchbacks. Compared to the other passes, this one had more boulder and talus fields to navigate, but the path was always obvious. I passed some hikers with fishing poles coming down. They said the fishing is supposed to be really good at Rae Lakes.

The top of the pass is a narrow strip of granite and you can straddle a rock and have a view down both sides of the pass. Nice views each way.

Southern view from Glen Pass during my 2017 PCT thruhike.

I met a fellow from Kentucky up top and on the way down we had a nice chat. He posts trip reports at backpackandbeer.blogspot.com.

Near the junction for Bullfrog Lake, I stopped for lunch. I knew I could get over Forester Pass today , but I have wanted to camp on the northern approach to Forester since I went over it last year. I decided to take it easy and kill some time by taking a 2-hour break.

East Vidette Peak in June 2017

The hike down to Vidette Meadow and Bubbs Creek was over in no time and soon I was walking up the valley. All of a sudden, I see a hiker come around the bend holding a knife and huge stick. Interesting…. He frantically tells me he saw a bear right around here. I thanked him for the heads up and continued on. Sure enough, 20 seconds later I see the beer about 60 feet away out of the corner of my eye. I keep walking while banging my hiking poles. He looks at me for a bit and then starts to saunter up the valley too. I keep walking and look behind me a couple of minutes later. I see him in the woods still moving up the valley about 80 feet away. I pick up speed and don’t see him again.

About 3.8 miles from Forester, I find my site and set up my tent. It has a grand view down the valley.