High Sierra Topix

I have convinced my friend to do a shuttle trip going in over Mono Pass on July 19 and leaving via Lake Edison a week to 10 days later. I hope to do Pioneer Basin and look in on another recess or two before heading to the Silver divide and taking in some of the areas I missed on my hike last summer.

A tentative schedule could be:
0) Place car at Lake Edison, drive to Mammoth pick up permit, motel it.
1) In at Mosquito flat, camp at 4th Recess lake.
2) To Pioneer Basin, lake 10862.
3) Explore Pioneer Basin
4) Laurel/Grinnell Lake
5) Over Silver Pass to Hortense Lake
6) Explore
7) Peter Pande Lake
8) Graveyard Lakes en route out.
9) Out to Edison, drive to Mammoth, pick up car, motel it.
10) Drive home

How does the itinerary look to those of you familiar with this area? A long trip, to be sure, but a lot of spectacular places to see.
I also wonder about a resupply.

It's a nice itinerary...and that area offers lots of options for exploring. The best part is that you could get from one trailhead to the other in a day, or at least two days...so the rest of your time can just be spent poking around and seeing what you want to see. Plus, it gives you some options if the weather turns ugly. We decided NOT to camp at Pioneer Basin a few years ago as we were experiencing violent thunderstorms and hail...so just day-hiked up there and camped down below. It's a great trip you have ahead of you. Enjoy it.

Fourth Recess seems out of the way unless you're exploring/peakbagging over there. Go up to Snow lakes and cross over to Third Recess and down that. Then do Pioneer. Or the reverse.

4th Recess Lake is NOT far off the trail, and is spectacular as well as has good camping. It does require re-crossing the creek twice; wading in early season, but not bad at all. I think 4th Recess is more beautiful than 3rd Recess.

thegib- I do not understand the route you are suggesting. Can you either show a map or explain more? I do not see how you go from Third Recess to Pioneer Basin without backtracking. And according to an earlier post today, I do not think the route you suggest is in line with what kpeter likes to do.

I agree with Daisy about 4th Recess...and the golden/rainbow trout fishing there, too!

After this past season's fires, will there be access to Lake Edison?

I think your plan is fine, except I do not think you mean "Silver Pass" when going from Grinnell to Hortense. I think you go via Rosy Finch Lake (Roper's High Route to Lake Isaac Walton). I would camp at Lake Isaac Walton and day-hike/fish to Hortense, then take the trail to Horse Haven, and on down and up towards Silver Pass. A night at a lake here would be worthwhile.

The loop route down from Grinnell to Mono Creek and then up Second Recess via Mill Creek and over Gabot Pass, coming out via Lake Italy and through Granite Park and out Pine Lakes is also a good trip, with easier car logistics- basically saving a day and night in a motel.

Single days at Laurel Grinnel and Peter Pande zones are way too little.

You have a lot on your plate, Pioneer Basin is great (maybe one day), would rather spend more time in the above mentioned zones (include Laurel Lake), and consider dropping Hortense. The Peter Pande, Anne, and Olive Lakes area are pretty.

Imagine your a fly fisherman standing directly in this view at the bend right casting directly upstream with a video recording from my camera position. Fish like this wet meadow stream's grassy edges for cover any time of day. A few places have undercut banks that provided a most tasty footer for a friend years ago. A decent pan-sized golden trout takes the #15 Adams after it drifted 10 feet down stream from where you placed it alighting softly on the water. As the landed fish wiggles near the shore, you bend down with pliers and properly grab the hook after briefly lifting the creature up for its publicity picture then is very happy to flop back in.

Already did the work for my trip into that area. Below is a bit of that off the Excel sheet. Above is where will camp 2 nights in whitebarks on slope of the middle meadow directly in front of Slate from this position.

Funny thing is hardly any groups ever notice those trees because they are mostly out of view of the trail by being below the rim of a open treeless flat the trail routes on. Why would groups bother paying any interest with lots of green trees in their view lower and Tully Lake finally on their last leg to. Rocky, cliffy areas lookers right has some of the best areas of Coville's columbine I've come across against interesting colorful Paleozoic geology.