July 25
Kearsarge Pass to Rae Lakes (mile 793)
Left around 7 with Jan. She is a trail angel that gives rides up the mountain. It was pretty hard to go. At least it was a nice clear day with no looming thunderheads. The walk back up to the pass wasn’t terrible. I had to stop at all the beautiful ponds. The chipmunks were suspiciously chubby. 
While I was filtering water at a stream, some cloudy clouds showed up and rumbled. But still… looked too high to actually storm. A few drops landed. I chose to ignore it.
The approach to Glen Pass was hard. Really hard and bumpy rocks, too many switchbacks, steep grades. There were lots of aquamarine alpine lakes on the approach and that was pretty. The pass is at nearly 12,000 feet. The sky was solid gray and unfriendly looking. The ridge at the top did not invite hanging out to enjoy the view. Coming down the other side, plenty of adorable animal activity. I caught a picture of a hamster looking thing — maybe a pika? A litter of young marmots rolled and tousled in mock fight. A deer in th bushes scared the shit out of me with its rustling bear impersonation. Water flowed all around grassy green hummocks. The path edged around an impressive cliff above a lake. 
I’d been nibbling all day but by camp, I still had too much food. If you’re careful about it, you can really stuff those bear canisters. Mine was like a block of concrete. And I still had another bag of snacks that wouldn’t fit in, no matter how much I tetris-ed it all in. I found a handy bent tree and hung up my excess. My ankles were sore after the two passes. I meant to take a painkiller but I fell asleep instead.
Spinstera 