We were in no big hurry to get moving the next morning as it was still (shockingly) quite cold. Our campsite near the bottom of the creekbed didn’t help on that front either. It was a little bit overcast with the incoming storm too. After a nice warm breakfast and a few cups of coffee, we warmed up enough to pack up and get moving, though I insisted on wearing my puffy jacket for all of five minutes before having to stop and take it off (I had to pee too anyways).

Shannon crossing talus towards Spring Lake.

Climbing towards Glacier Pass.

We reached Glacier Pass in about an hour, having little trouble with the talus and ice near the pass's top. The key is to swing wide south from the top of the pass. There are extensive signs of the old trail here, and it’s only about 50 vertical feet where it’s steep enough to get into trouble, so it’s really not that hard.

Empire Mountain from Glacier Pass.

Mount Eisen and the Kaweahs behind from Glacier Pass.

We didn’t linger atop the pass long before dropping down towards Mineral King. We were both a little tired from the previous day’s effort, so we put in an airpod each and stumbled down until we reached the old trail below, following it to the new trail, and then back down to Mineral King, which we reached around noon.

The beautiful Mineral King Valley from above.

Some pretty fall colors across the valley.

Once back at the trailhead, we unwrapped our car and set out on our way, dropping the tarp off at the tarp shed, and slowly rolling along the winding road out of Mineral King, before stopping for lunch in Bakersfield and driving the rest of the way home. It was a great little trip to end the season, but now… it was time to ski!