Approach to Pinchot Pass, left, and looking south from the pass

The trail never drops below 10,000 over the 10 miles between Mather and Pinchot passes, so it's not that much of a climb -- three miles and 1,170 feet on steep, stone switchbacks -- to a morning crossing of Pinchot Pass (12,130, the high point of the trip, and only the second point above 12,000). I top out at 11:20. Thus we end our two days of relative isolation and return to the land of more bears and more people. After the pass, it's another interminable, dusty slog down on a poorly built trail. (It seemed the CCC crew active in the area was more devoted to tearing it up than building it.)

Golden Gate of the Sierra

After this hard stretch, we bottom out on Woods Creek (8547) and pass the junction on the right that follows Woods Creek to the Cedar Grove trailhead. Almost immediately after the junction we cross the ''Golden Gate of the Sierra'' suspension bridge (a truly spectacular structure and the most fun we had on this low-fun day). We stop to soak our feet, well aware this is some of the most dangerous bear country we've yet crossed. Then it's another long, slow climb to camp at tiny Dollar Lake (10240). This is another one of those heartbreaker afternoon climbs that just won't end. Every time we think we've crested at the lake, we enter another valley filled with glacial debris and dead trees.

In our exhausted state, we didn't realize just how close we were to the more attractive Arrowhead Lake (10292). I'm not sure it would have mattered -- by the time we get to Dollar all three of us are whupped. This was a 10-hour day -- our longest yet. We barely have time to get dinner done and get some water pumped before hitting the sleeping bags. We have the little pocket lake to ourselves. (We're in one of only three legal campsites.) It's surprising, since we're now on the very heavily trafficked Rae Lakes Loop route, that we've seen just one woman since the bridge. With the trip 80 percent done, we're beginning to feel some of the cumulative toll on our bodies. The flesh on my feet is bruised and sore from the pounding on the granite and there's nothing moleskin can do about that. Bring on the Motrin.

Saw 3 northbound, 2 southbound today.

Total mileage: 12.8
Time out: 9
Time in: 7

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