Day 3- Tyndall Creek to Vidette Meadow — What We Saw, What We Read

Distance: 15 mi
Elevation Gain: 2,160 ft
Starting Elevation: 9,600 ft
Ending Elevation: 8,265 ft

A cold morning meant a slow morning as we weren't quite ready to pack our things and get moving.

Despite a rough second day we were ready for another day out on the trail. Our night was cold and we slowly gathered our belongings and packed up our bags. We filtered water from the ice cold water of nearby Tyndall Creek, the sun not quite covering our campsite yet meant it was still much too cold in the late morning. We ate breakfast with a young couple who had a tent nearby and learned all about their adventures on the trail. They were southbound and nearing the end of their hike. They too had experienced some cold rainy days and altitude sickness, but also promised us warm days ahead. They even shared with us a little bottle of olive oil and salmon packets which came in handy later on the trail! Invigorated from the friendly chat, we put on our packs and began our ascent up to Forester Pass (Elev: 13,110'). It was slow going, especially after a bout of altitude sickness. We took breaks along the way up to enjoy the last views of Sequoia National Park before crossing over into Kings Canyon. Near the pass we saw a series of small alpine lakes before hitting a stretch of steep, short, and lung-burning switchbacks for the last mile (or two) of our ascent. The view from the peak however was truly stunning. We took a break at the peak and treated ourselves to a small package of celebratory Oreos, grateful for the morning sugar boost. We had about a 9 mile descent to the Bubbs Creek/Vidette Meadow junction and we wanted all the energy we could get. We began to climb down, passing over small creeks and spotting several chubby marmots basking in the afternoon sun. We stopped for a break a few miles down to filter some water and eat a snack, and enjoy the early afternoon weather. Once we hit the treeline the path became softer, though at that point our feet were already worn out from a long morning.

As we descended deeper into valley and to the base of Glen Pass (which we would tackle on Day 4) the tree cover darkened the path and we felt like we were close to nightfall (though it was only around 3 pm). Approaching our campsite we encountered our first stock train and an accompanying group of campers with far more food, comfortable equipment, and energy than a typical through-hiker would carry. We soon learned that groups come in on horses and take day hiking trips throughout the area (which was cool and also made us mildly jealous...) A kind day hiker gave us an extra apple as we descended our last mile, found a spot next to some other backpackers setting up a camp fire, and set up our tent. We ate dinner, rested our feet, and joined the nearby hikers around their lovely campfire to warm up and chat. It was at this point we began dreaming about all the delicious food we would eat once we completed our hike...and that was only day 3!

Looking back on the sign at the top of Forester Pass. We would be backing away, leaving Sequoia National Park and entering Kings Canyon.