For this summer’s big trek we decided, once again, to head for the High Sierra. This was our standard plan. But where to go? What to see? The Sierra was so large and varied, with so many trailheads on both the east and west sides, that it was nearly impossible to make a decision. After plenty of reading and searching on the internet, I eventually narrowed the choices down, and the one choice that beckoned the most was to visit Dusy Basin, a high-altitude region of Kings Canyon National Park just west of the Sierra Crest near Bishop, California.
Here’s the one-paragraph summary of our trek: We hiked up and over Bishop Pass, and made a base camp in Dusy Basin at 12,000 feet elevation, where we stayed for three nights. We hiked around the upper end of Dusy Basin for a couple of days, just taking it easy and enjoying the views. We day-hiked over to Thunderbolt Pass and checked out Palisade Basin, and also hiked along the rocky-ridged Sierra Crest just west (north) of Bishop Pass. Nothing too strenuous. We went on this trip insisting that there would be no pressure to actually DO anything. All we really had was the vague goal of getting to Dusy Basin and checking it out, and if we didn’t get all the way there, well, we’d still be high up in the Sierra Nevada, and how could THAT be bad? Anyway, we succeeded admirably! It was an excellent, no-stress vacation.
Click on the photo to read the complete Trip Report
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