99/October - Rae Lakes

2.5 days, 25 miles, 7800' total ascent,
two 11700'+ passes, and 11000' camping.
That's rogue?

FRIDAY 2:10PM: Call from Oly.  He's on his way.
2:45PM: We're on our way.  Who forgot their hiking stick?
8:00PM: We're Awesome, we're toss'en, we're packed full.
Lone pine is booked.  Stupid film festival.  Karl's chicken Santa Fe!
9:00PM Onion Valley.  Camping gated off.  Free camping, wahoo!
Lets give Gary a call.  Working out?
"Where's the best deer hunting?", Hillbilly Bob asks.  He has guns.
Dude tent rule.  One night good sleep.  Calm cool night.

SATURDAY 8:00AM: Lift 'em boy.  Bob shoots us.  With a camera that is.
Oliver sets a wicked pace.  Will this be Whitney again?
11:00AM: Kearsarge Pass.  What's the big deal?
Lets give Tom a call.  Baby-sitting?
Globalstar rocks!
Calm and clear.  Bare rocks.  No snow.  Its no Cottonwood.
What wind?  Time to go down.
"Did you see those deer?".  Deer?  We never look up.
That's Charlotte Lake?  I though it was far.
View of a Yosemite like valley.  Oly's dome.  Not his head.
Why don't they put the lakes closer to the trail?
I'll have to go 25' below to get water.
Oh, they did put the next lake by the trail.
Ultra friendly Austrian-Californian babe!  She wants me.
Yikes, you gotta like those tights.
3:00PM:  Glen Pass (11,960')  Now that was a steep trail.
Spectacular view!  Kearsarge smearsarge.  10+ lakes in view.
We'll be at camp by 4PM, no problem Oliver.  Wrong.
Lakes in view are larger than they appear.
Rae Lakes aren't for everyone.
4:50PM: Found camp.  We are dead.
I'm more dead than day 1 of GC3.  Ouch.  Elevation has choked me.
Pumping water is an aerobic workout.
Sure we have enough refried beans, Oliver?  Its a small tent.
Lets give Paul a call.
"Are you by my house?"
"Are you at (some bar I never heard of)?"
"Are you on a cell phone?"
"Oh, your on a Globalstar phone.  Why use that in San Diego?"
Never mind Paul.  I'll call you later.
9:00PM: Its getting cold.  Time for the mummy bag.
Earplugs installed.  Could have used nose plugs.  Dueling tooters.

SUNDAY 7:00AM: Leisurely morning.  Unbelievable sunrise view.
MSR and Coleman butane are not compatible for hiker Joe.
Caught 10" Golden Trout, but runs out of fuel.
Heads home and drinks the water straight from the streams. Yuck.
10AM: Lift'em boy.  This is our "easy" day.  Wrong.
You could practically grab those fish from the lakes.
We take in the scenery, to procrastinate the inevitable climb.
12PM: Glen Pass.  Not so bad.
Lunch at the Austrian-Californian Babe Memorial Park.
2PM: Decision time.  Its up to you Oliver (yeah right)
Charlotte or Kearsarge Lakes.  Pay now or later.
Oliver makes the right decision.
Take alternate route to Kearsarge Lakes.
Why are we going down?  This is not good.
OK.  Now we go up.  Up.  Up.  Up.
90M gain feels like 900M.
Canadian John Muir dude has a few stories.  Bear invasion and
burning his pants off.  Need ride to Independence for restock.
4:00PM: Camp at last.  
Another spectacular site, but its no Cottonwood.
Oliver remains vertical for 1-2 hours.
He is hurting, but no complaints.  At least to me.
Bathing in the lake at sunset is heaven.
Gotta like those REI meals.  Simple, light, and less beans.
Gator Rum with Fruit Gatorade and Estonian Vodka.  Excellent!
I'm calling my parents.  What the heck.  
I wish I had my Estonian cousin's number. (no not Monika, Oliver)
9:00PM: I am freezing!  Plugs in.  Better air tonight.

MONDAY 6:30AM: Man its cold.
25 degrees is not good for water filters.  Everything is iced up.
Boiling is the only thing we can do.  
Learned a lesson.  Filter when the weather is warm.
9:00AM: Time to go up.
10:00AM: Kearsarge Pass.  Calm and clear as usual.
Time to go down.  Down. Down. Down.
12:30PM: Good old Explorer.  
Three Guinness Draught beers waiting for us.  Yes.
1:00PM: Karl's again.
This time a beef burger.  Second of the year.
6:15PM: Home.

Another epic complete.
Too many miles.
Too many feet.
Perfect trip (to me).
Thanks for dealing with it/me Oliver.  I owe you a Cottonwood trip.

djj