Day 66: June 7th
Mile 813.3 to Mile 827.4
Mather Pass (12,100 feet) looked easy when we viewed it from below. Not much snow was visible to our eyes. But the Sierra is deceptive and left snow laying in snow piles at the base which we discovered after rounding the top of some low hills. We followed the trail up ignoring the snow left by previous hikers seemingly going straight up. At the summit, we found the north side covered in some treacherous snow and quickly donned our crampons for the descent. We continue to underestimate our times to go up and over these passes: they are more difficult than they look. Deb is also not amused with all the water crossings getting our feet wet within 30 minutes of beginning our day.
Photo: Looking north from Mather Pass.
Mileage: 14.1 miles
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