trip report: Pioneer Basin

[KathyW]

Horton Lakes and Basin Mtn are a good idea. I've been up there to do Mount Tom and then just up to the lake in the fall when the leaves were yellow and again in the spring when the lake was still frozen. I've never made it all the way up to Basin though; so that's a very good idea.

These are the trips I've narrowed down to, but I never seem to make up my mind until the last minute these days:

Piute Pass - Desolation Lake - Four Gables

Roads End to - Grouse Lake - Goat Mountain

Birch Lake Trail - Birch Lake - The Thumb

Horton Lakes Trail - Horton Lake - Basin Mtn

[cgundersen]

Hi Dave,
Based on this and several of your preceding TRs, you could probably make a pretty decent living serving as a tour guide. Or, on the lecture circuit. Hugely informative!
For me, perhaps the most noteworthy feature from your photos was the dearth of snow. I've typically been accustomed to having snow highlights on that splendid array of big peaks that are visible to the south of Pioneer, and, of course, in early season, it's loaded with flowers. If Mav had not settled on Wright Lakes for the HST meet-up, Pioneer would have been a great option, too!

I also liked your exchange with Kathy. Her stitched panorama shot from the northern ridge up toward Red & White and Red Slate gave a good feel for the sensational vistas and striking geology. Thanks for a great read!
Cameron

[SSSdave]

Thanks appreciated.

Well maybe not guiding but yeah given my huge photography body of work, as I near retirement age, may indeed get into lecturing as well as writing to complement exhibitions since I enjoy speaking to groups especially kids. Back as a young adult I always thought Galen Rowell's humble slide show events before he became famous were very welll received.

Also enjoy company and conversation of others fascinated by natural history. The majority of mountain enthusiastis tend to have rather limited knowledge of what they are looking at because they are content to enjoy their experiences in narrow familiar ways. Not only backpackers but also climbers and photographers. Typically most can only describe rocks up between granite, volcanic, sandstone, and metamorphic. Not that some like Muir have always been eager to know more and wonder. And even many of those who enjoy looking at plants, wildflowers, and trees can barely describe trees beyond, pine, fir, oak, brush, or willow, or flowers beyond a common name list countable on a single hand's fingers or anything about structure beyond, petals, stems, and leaves. Once a person learns more, a world opens up vast depth and awe.

I had a 9-day trip planned to base camp in Pioneer this late July when greenery and wildflower peak but my bro will be bound to business concerns so won't be able to break away for more than a few days. We were going to come in from Edison. Instead may either do another shorter solo trip up and over Mono Pass or something else. Have 3 weeks of PTO to fit in somehow and a long list of trips planned in nauseating detail.