I actually didn't go to the summit of Crocker - I had only been backpacking a year or two when I did that Pioneer Basin trip; so just getting up to that ridge next to Crocker was enough excitement for me.SSSdave wrote:You may have just posted a link to a photo posting site. Back then snownymph and a few others here posted on the old webshots.com.
So you climbed Crocker. Nice self portrait. Image 1 looking down from the north ridge onto Golden Lake which we visited in 2011 while camping at the little bench below. A delightful pristine place far from trails to basecamp at. On this latest trip was going to climb up to the ridge view for an image toward Red Slate but figured it will be better when I return while snow still decorates the landscape.
This evening just completed a spreadsheet for a leisurely 9-day base camping trip back to that area I'll paste a bit from below. Given an average winter, probably the same time as the board's Kern trip but way easier. Wildflowers ought to be peaking with turf greenest, and patches of snow still on the peaks. Then a couple weeks later may do Shepherd or Taboose when they are more likely to be peaking. But I have quite a queue of trip choices to consider. Found the perfect campspot to spend the layover days at. Actually day 7 is mostly in the basin too and will leave about 6pm after shade hits lake 2. Some impressive potential frames in that basin and a lot of interesting places to explore.
Day Destination Elev
TH Edison Reservoir ferry 7,640
1 Mono Creek 8,400
2 Lower Hopkins Lake 10,360
3 Fourth Recess Lake 10,160
4 Pioneer B Lake #4 10,870
5 layover 10,870
6 layover 10,870
7 Mono Creek 9,200
8 Mono Creek 8,180
9 Edison Reservoir ferry 7,640
Day up down dis
1 1,215 455 5.7
2 2,010 50 5.2
3 710 910 4.1
4 860 150 2.9
5 0 0 0.0
6 0 0 0.0
7 0 1,670 3.5
8 70 1,110 4.7
9 455 975 3.9
total 5,320 5,320 30.0
I like your trip plans, you're lucky to be able to do those long trips. Between work and my pets, I am typically stuck with just long weekends and an occasional slightly longer trip. Just a few more years and I'll have a lot more time on my hands, and I'm looking forward to that.
I'd like to go in at Edison to do Seven Gables and Gemini - that's next year for sure. If you're saying that peak flower time could be around the third week in July in that area, I probably should look at that time for of year for my trip starting at Edison next year.
If you were heading out now for a three day backpacking trip in the Sierra, where would you go? I'm asking because I'm trying to figure out where to go on Thursday this week. I have thought about going over Puite Pass again and into Desolation Lake. From there I could do the hike up to Four Gables, which should be easy even with a dusting of snow. I'm just not sure if that's what I want to do though.