Day 15- Minaret Creek to Rush Creek Junction

Distance: 16.5 mi
Elevation Gain: 4,140 ft
Starting Elevation: 8,120 ft
Ending Elevation: 9,640 ft

After a peaceful and surprisingly warm night at Minaret Creek we woke up refreshed, although a little bit uncertain about carrying heavy, recently restocked packs. We began our ascent through lodgepole forest taking in the cool morning air. As we rose higher, the wind started to pick up around us. Our mapped route indicated a climb for approximately six miles before hitting a lake. Actually, most of our day would be following a series of lakes up and down nearly 1,000-2,000 feet between each lake before finally hitting Island Pass (Elev: 10,200') at around 13 miles. Our goal was to hit Rush Creek junction, the base of Donohue Pass, that evening so that we could have an easier ascent on the pass the next day. It would be a long day, but we had done long days before, right?

The wind continued to pick up and our hike was slow and arduous. Our knees and feet ached as we hiked up and down steep switchbacks. Our first goal was to make it to Shadow Lake, six miles into our hike. Once we made it to Rosalie Lake (around 4.5 miles) we stopped there for a short break and a snack of M&Ms and goldfish (thank you fellow hikers!) The wind was still strong around us but we needed the break.

We started our journey again until we finally made it to Shadow Lake, and stopped again to filter water and enjoy some sunshine. The next section of our hike was particularly challenging. Hiking up to Garnet Lake felt like walking over another pass, with a particularly steep terrain and a rocky path. Once we reached the water we stopped for another break near a bridge with fantastic views of the lake around us. In the sunlight we ate peanut butter and cookies, officially abandoning any hope of eating healthy again the rest of our hike.

We continued over the hills until we reached a big valley where we found Thousand Island Lakes, our last junction before Island Pass. We stopped again to filter water and enjoy the late afternoon sun. Over the mountains in the distance we could see black clouds rolling in. With the wind picking up we knew it could only mean rain or snow, and we hoped that it would not follow us to our camp.

We hurried along, passing by a ranger who checked our permits and told us tales of silly, permit-less hikers wandering around the valleys looking for a trashcan (we later learned from another ranger that this ranger had been telling this story to everyone that passed by).

Island Pass was the most underwhelming one we had ever climbed. Underwhelming in the sense that we had no idea we had passed it; the views going over were spectacular. As we descended into the valley below the sky grew darker and tree cover blocked the sunlight from our path. We eventually found Rush Creek and did some sleuthing to find a nice site up on a hilltop nearby. Again, we set up our tent and ate our dinner inside to shelter us from the wind and cool night breeze. We had made it through another long day and tomorrow would be our final pass.

Switchbacks heading down to Shadow Lake.