The rest of my slog up Kearsarge Pass was uneventful.
I got to the top around 1400. Met a Korean guy there who didn’t speak any English. I went down around the lakes and around and up Glen Pass. Yogi’s guidebook says not to descend too early. No problem there! I summited around 1800.
Yeah, my heavy pack was really slowing me down. So much food! Plus snow and mosquito gear. I had way more food than I could fit in my bear canister, and the guide book says there are bears near Rae Lakes, so I really wanted to make it to the bear box to properly store my food. With my late summit, I had to hike through the evening to get there.
I knew it was a perfect moon for night-hiking, not quite full, so I wasn’t too worried.
Nevertheless, I was very tired when I got to the bear box at Rae Lakes right around dark. There were lots of people there. Two big bonfires despite the rule against fires above 10,000 feet, and when I went to put my extra food in the bear box, I could barely wedge it in because the bear box was full with four bear canisters!! WTF? How stupid and inconsiderate can hikers be?
I was too tired and it was too dark to find a campspot, so I grabbed a nearby flat spot and cowboy camped right there, right then.
Yeah, I’m reading my blog and commenting on it years later. This day, Kearsarge and Glen was my second longest day (24.5 miles), which is crazy with all that weight. Reading it again, if I was worried about bears at Rae Lakes, why not stop short at the first water and flat spot after only 22 miles? Like, before dark and stuff. Anyway, I suppose it was a glorious day and I shouldn’t second guess it.
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