Day 14 of a John Muir Trail thru-hike delivered exactly the kind of day that keeps long-distance hikers hooked: an alpine sunrise, two major passes, a close encounter with endangered wildlife, and a campsite invasion you rarely read about in the guidebooks.
The hikers behind this diary entry set a pre-dawn alarm to watch the sun come up over Rae Lakes, the chain of granite-ringed tarns in Kings Canyon National Park that's widely considered one of the prettiest stretches of the entire Sierra Nevada. Before they'd even started climbing, they spotted three Bighorn sheep scrambling on a nearby hillside — a genuinely lucky sighting, since the Sierra Nevada population is small and closely monitored.
The day's first objective was Glen Pass, a 11,978-foot crossing the pair had previously descended in heavy snow during their Pacific Crest Trail hike. Seeing it in dry conditions was a stark contrast: the route was obvious and straightforward, but memory of last June's treacherous snowfield descent made them marvel they'd made it down at all.
Rather than stopping there, they pushed on and tagged Forester Pass too — at 13,153 feet, the highest point on the entire John Muir Trail. Their takeaway is a useful one for anyone planning a Sierra trek: the same pass can feel like a totally different mountain depending on the season. In snow, Forester is disorienting and slow; in clear conditions, it's easier to navigate but you suddenly grasp just how enormous it is.
As temperatures dropped, they raced downhill toward the first stand of trees and stumbled on a near-perfect campsite barely 50 steps in. Then came the surreal part: the sound of dozens of hooves, followed by fifteen riderless horses wandering straight into camp — apparently pack animals out for a night on the trail with no wrangler in sight. One even rolled around in a neighbouring camp spot. Some clanging and shouting persuaded the herd to give ground, though they lingered nearby for an hour before drifting off.
Why should a regular traveller care? The John Muir Trail is a 211-mile wonder running from Yosemite to the summit of Mount Whitney, and stories like this show what it actually delivers: wildlife encounters, split-second weather and daylight decisions, and campsites you can't book or predict. Forester Pass and Rae Lakes sit on the boundary of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, and the Rae Lakes loop is a popular shorter option for fit hikers who want a taste of the same scenery without three weeks of commitment. Just remember that Sierra camping rules require bear canisters, and grazing pack stock does pass through — so keep food secured and camp a sensible distance from established stock sites.
