I started early because I was hoping to get through the snow before it gets too slushy and wet and also because I might be able to reach Guitar lake, which is the base camp for going up Whitney.
The hike up Forester turned out to be quite hard. The north approach to Forester has switchbacks with an even grade, but hikers who broke trail through snow mostly ignored the trail and went straight up.
I reached the pass shortly after 10 am and had my breakfast.
The trail on the south side is along a steep rock wall but didn't have too much snow. It always looks really cool though.
I had a little concern that there would be a lot of snow in the "chute" section, but it wasn't bad
The snow level was at about 11000ft now and by noon I was pretty much out of the snow.
To keep my feet warm in the snow with my running shoes I use plastic bags both as vapor barrier and as water protection: liner sock (because I don't like the plastic directly on skin), plastic bag, wool sock, plastic bag (I keep the insole inside the bag too), shoe. This keep my feet dry even in deep puddles. After a few hour the bags tend to slide down though and need to be put on properly again.
The barren Bighorn sheep plateau is pretty barren and different from other areas.
I was on the approach to Guitar lake as the sun was painting everything in a beautiful warm color.
Four other hikers were already at Guitar lake when I arrived, Mike / Fuzzy, a PCT hiker from New York and Emily, Hanna, and Sophie with whom I had hiked over Pinchott and Glen pass after the snowstorm.
Mike was telling us about an amazing shooting star he had seen with a long tail. Just 20 min later I saw the best shooting star I have ever seen, orange with a long tail going across the sky for several seconds enough that everyone could see it. I made a wish.
Trailhead
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