A very short trip deserves a short report, but there were some interesting points to it, the main ones regarding the ease of access to these places. If I understand correctly, there are none of the rec. gov wilderness permit requirements for the Eldorado National Forest, and Mokelumne Wilderness. The permits can be obtained at the Amador Ranger Station in the town of Pioneer, and at other Forest Service offices, or online with them directly. In summer, permits can also be had at the small cabin on Carson Pass, and the only areas that have quotas are around Winnemucca, Roundtop, and 4th of July Lakes. If you enter from Carson Pass or Kirkwood, you can hike through this quota area on your way to Summit City Creek, and onward with an easily obtained WP for the Mokelumne. For the area above Silver Lake, where we entered on this trip, there were no requirements beyond a campfire permit. It is a bit confusing, but the ranger on the phone was very helpful (Amador Ranger Sta.: (209) 259-3774). It seems like a very welcome throwback to the good old days, and potentially a useful option this summer.
Our goals for this trip were to ski in from Carson Pass, and to climb Thunder Mountain. I also wanted to reach the true summit pinnacle of Thimble Peak, having missed it last time. We were successful in the first goals, but the final few feet of Thimble still eluded me. We decided on the spot that if we could throw snowballs onto the top, that was good enough. It was easily done. Thunder Mtn. is a wonderful mass of volcanic crags, which can be scrambled through easily on the southern slopes of the mountain. Here is that slope, and the rest of our trip in pictures:
