Day 3

Timberline Lake to Wallace Creek:

We woke up to a beautiful Sierra morning; blue skies and warm sun with no wind.  After huddling in the tent to cook dinner the night before this was a pleasant change, so we took some time in the morning to check out the area around timberline lake, and it was worth taking the time.

Maggie adventures from home base at Timberline lake

The string of lakes in this area is connected by a cascading creek, the section between Guitar lake and Timberline is particularly interesting with a stair-step rock character.  The cold night had left ice formations on the cascading waterfalls that made it even more enticing to wander around and check out the scene.

Pi and Dad checking out the ice formations

It also felt nice to sit out in the warming morning sun and soak up the scenery, that was pretty much all ours to enjoy.  The few people we had come across during our trek down the back side of Whitney were pretty intent on staying close to the peak; presumably to bag it early the next day.  The extra effort we had made to loose some altitude and get into the tree line paid of with what ended up being one of the most relaxing mornings of the trip.  I really wanted to just do a layover day and enjoy this place for another day; alas we had to keep moving so that we could meet the helicopter at the prescribed time.

So... where are we going today Mom?

We did not have a ton of distance to cover on day 3, so we had a leisurely morning and a relatively leisurely hike.  At one point I hiked an extra half mile or so to check out the pit toilet in Crabtree Meadow.  Not being much of an outdoor pooper, I had a fascination with this toilet ever since I read about it on another headwaters trip report.  I was not disappointed; the toilet was free standing (no privacy walls) in the middle of the meadow with fantastic open air views.  Of course I had set my pack down to do this excursion, but had I had my camera with me, you would have been treated to a self portrait - next time...

Rebecca and Pi somewhere near Crabtree Meadow

After a bit of descending and a disheartening section of uphill (the previous day had taken its toll), we got to yet another breathtaking view of the Bighorn Plateau and Mts Tyndall and Williamson.  We had lunch at the head of Wallace Creek and decided that we would make a short day of it and finish the hike down to Junction Meadow the following day.  This allowed  the Energizer Bunnies (Dave, Allison and Andrew) the chance to explore the Bighorn Plateau for a bit as the rest of us settled into camp. 

Ahhh,  so that is where we are

Unfortunately, one of the tequila bottles had leaked, putting a serious damper on the evening.  Well, not really, but next time I'm sure Marc will double check the platypus.  We were able to find a camp just below the "fire line" and enjoy a little campfire and cook out.  We were officially descending into Kern Canyon...

Pi and Daddy Jamming some Brown Eyed Girl on the Bear Canister