So it was regrettable

2 min readMar 20, 2019

JMT DAY 23 — RAE LAKES BEFORE SUNSET

Rae Lakes before sunset

After hiking over 2 miles and gaining over 400 feet in elevation, I finally reached the campsites at Rae Lakes, where I found Henry. Part of me was hoping to dip in the water to cool myself off, but I was running out of time fast. So, instead I hurriedly pitched my tent and went down to the shore with my water bottles. I washed my face while filtering water for the evening.

Once returning to my tent, I grabbed my gear and hurried back to the shore. I liked the view from the spot where I had filtered water, so I decided to set up my cameras there. And I was planning to spend the rest of the evening there. And the night as long as the weather permitted.

It was windy, so it was regrettable that capturing a mirror like reflection of Mt. Rixford (12,887 ft) and the Painted Lady (12,125 ft), also known as the Pyramid or Colored Lady, famously coined by an artist named Bolton Coit Brown, was impossible.

Glenn Pass was not visible from where I was. However, part of me was relieved because I knew that the pass wasn’t strenuous. Other than Mt. Whitney, our final and big climb, I thought that we basically had left all the strenuous passes behind us.

Little did I know that coming back over Kearsarge Pass with my last resupply (about 73 lb) to complete the last stretch of the trail was going to kick my butt so hard.

Rae Lakes, Kings Canyon National Park, CA

Sony A7III
Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16–35mm f/4 ZA OSS
18 mm / 1/20 sec at ƒ/11 at ISO 100
Taken 8/28/2018
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