Rae Lakes in 2 Days

At the time of this hike I was working at Sequoia Nat'l Park for the summer. As a result of working the weekends I got Wednesday/Thursday off to go hiking. I did the Rae Lakes Loop last summer in 6 days so I knew what I was getting into when I wanted to do it in only 2. Since I was only going for 2 days/1 night I tried to go as light as I could. This meant no stove, no bear can, no tent, and foregoing many other luxuries. With a smaller rucksack my base weight was less than 10 lbs, not very impressive to true ULers, but pretty good for me. All in with water and food I was right around 13 lbs for a weekend of fun.

Day 1: Wednesday-Road's End to Rae Lakes
I got up at 4am and out the door by 5 so as to make it to the Road's End permit station by 7am. After getting my permit for Woods Creek I started today's 20+ miles. A light pack made the hiking fast as I passed Mist Falls and climbed through Paradise Valley.



I ate lunch at Upper Paradise and continued up the Woods Creek drainage with views of Castle Domes and the upper canyon.This part of the trail was hot and long and I was glad when I made it to Woods Crossing. I took a long nap here and waited for it to cool down some before making the climb up to Rae.

I was greeted by Fin Dome as I neared the Lakes. After 20 miles of hiking I was ready for camp. 

Day 2: Thursday-Rae Lakes-Road's End
I knew this day was going to be tough; I had to tackle Glen Pass then descend 7k feet back to Road's End. I was on the trail by 8 and made it to the top of Glen a little after 10. I got stuck talking to a couple who agreed to take my picture and didn't leave the pass for another hour.

















Coming down I saw one of the bluest lakes I've ever seen.



Charlotte Lake and drainage was next on the way down.

As I followed Bubbs Creek there were awesome views of the Brewer group.









The next 10 miles were boring views of the forest until I got to the switchbacks above Cedar Grove.



Another hour and I was back at the trailhead, ready for some food. As with all hikes out of Cedar Grove, I got a burger at the Hume Lake snack shop before heading back to the real world. My feet were hurting for the next couple days, and I don't think I'll be doing 40+ miles in a weekend any time soon, but I'm glad I did it anyway.