Day 16. Aug 14: Woods Creek to Rae Lakes. 6 Miles.

It was really cold this morning.  This is the first time that I began my hike with an extra layer of clothes. This may have something to do with the fact that this camp area is in a low lying creek area.

Bundled up and leaving Woods Creek

Almost to Dollar Lake.  Looking back down to Woods Creek

 

I was about  half way to Dollar lake before it was warm enough to shed some layers.  I had wanted to camp at Dollar lake.  It is a pleasant little lake that most hikers pass by on their way to or from Rae lakes.

Dollar Lake

However, my new priority was to get as far south into Rae Lakes as possible so I would be rested and ready to start my climb up Glen Pass in the morning.  That would help me reach my resupply point closer to when Don and John would be arriving from Kearsarge Pass tomorrow.

The one thing about Rae lakes is that it gets a lot of visitors and therefore has a 2 night limit for campers.  Not only does the JMT/PCT pass through here, but so does a loop trail that starts from Cedar Grove to the west.  Cedar Grove links Hwy 180 from Fresno and therefore gives easy access from the central valley.  Likewise, Kearsarge Pass creates easy access from the east along Hwy 395.

After passing Dollar lake I came to Arrowhead Lake and a great view of the iconic Fin Dome that is the signature feature of Rae lakes.  I had a nice talk with NP ranger Dave Gordon and he warned me about a big group of noisy campers and suggested some better spots. I stopped by to see his new cabin that he was very proud of.  The cabin is a huge improvement over the plywood and canvas one they had in 2010.

Fin Dome

Rae Lakes Ranger cabin

I picked a campsite at the middle lake around noon.  It was now a warm clear day and I set upon getting cleaned up and did my laundry.

Rae Lakes campsite

Laundry day

After laundry detail I also gave myself a much needed pedicure.  A Swiss Army pedicure to be exact. 

I realize this isn't really a blog-worthy subject but I must happily comment on how my feet came full circle from blistered and tender to fully healed and trail tough.  I did not expect that at all.  Daily attention to problem areas and letting the feet breathe vs. constant bandaging was the key.

The Injinji brand toe socks I wore every day helped prevent toe-to-toe blisters and cuts.  I used their lightweight running version as a liner under my mid-weight hiking socks.  I thought these odd little toe socks were great and would definitely use them again.

One thing I did that may surprise many is that I cut a hole out of the back of each boot to stop the recurring heel blisters.  I had hiked this way since day 4 and never again had an issue with heel pain.  After getting knocked off this trail in 2012 due to blisters, the incision decision was easy.  Sometimes you just gotta to do what you gotta do.

Solution

Problem

No defeat for these feet

 
What really surprised me is how bad my fingertips are cracking.  Very deep and painful.

Daily SPOT Message

Dave's right here"
Latitude:36.80774
Longitude:-118.39978
GPS location Date/Time:08/14/2013 13:07:29 PDT

Message:Camped at Rae Lk. DBW&JLP hike safe&thanx. CU

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.80774,-118.39978&ll=36.80774,-118.39978&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1