Today I got a ride back to Kearsage Pass with 3 others, Rabbit, G.O.H, and Rox. Our driver, Mark, came all the way from Independence to pick us up because the bus wasn’t running on the weekend. We drove just over an hour to the Onion Valley trailhead and got there around 3 pm.

After spending 4 days at 4150 ft, 1270 m, climbing out from the carpark at 9200 ft, 2806 m was a long and slow ordeal. My freshly resupplied pack felt extra heavy as I climbed. I passed by the same views I’d seen on the way down, only much slower this time.

After a couple of hours battling against gravity, I was glad to make it to Flower Lake. The other day I had seen an awful lot of people coming over the pass and struggling because they’d lost acclimation faster than they had expected. Instead of repeating their struggle, I’d spotted these campsites around the lake while descending. I packed an extra night’s food to allow me to stay here and begin re-acclimating.

The campsites around the lake offer beautiful views of the mountains as the sun drops behind Kearsage Pass. I find a great spot, close to the water, with a running stream nearby too. This is the perfect place to stop before climbing over the pass, I can sleep at 10560 ft, 3219 m, before heading back into the Sierra once more.