Day 57: Crabtree Meadow (Mile 766)-South of Forester Pass (Mile 777.5); 11.5 miles
The cold, frosty night made it difficult to leave our warm sleeping bags, but we had ground to cover. About a mile into the day, the Pacific Crest Trail joined with the famously stunning John Muir Trail (JMT). The JMT showed its beauty early as we walked out of a sparse pine forest into an open exposed area. There we found an intense blue seasonal lake in a meadow covered with yellow wildflowers. Rugged mountains rose behind.
Although our eyes were excited, our legs told us they needed a break from the intense climbing we had done the previous five days, with heavy packs and little rest. After consulting maps and surveying our remaining food, we elected to camp early. We’ve learned to be flexible on the trail, and we’ve come to enjoy responding creatively to whatever occurs.
We set up the tent in an amazing spot by a lake at 12200 feet, the highest we had ever camped. We saw clear sky and sunset below us, dense textured clouds in the middle distance, and fog cascading over the peaks above us. We heard distant thunder roll through the mountains. Just as we finished dinner, it started hailing! We were amused and quickly retreated to our tent to look at maps and sleep.
Wandering the Wild 