Blog Post #20: Pioneer Basin Hike Made Easier

This friendly horse let me pet him as we waited for our wilderness permit. The permit allowed us to camp for 5 nights in Pioneer Basin, Eastern Sierra, CA. We rented 2 mules, a horse and a wrangler from Rock Creek Packers to transport our gear to a pre-arranged campsite above Mud Lake. We hiked the 8.5 miles up and over Mono Pass, out of Mosquito Flat and then down to our campsite. Rough terrain slowed us down. The wrangler, horse and mules passed us just as we reached the top of Mono Pass. I was so impressed by the sure-footedness of these amazing animals. Packers have used mules for centuries to transport goods into and out of the Eastern Sierra back country. We explored several lakes in the vicinity of our campsite, each one more beautiful than the next. Check out the Homepage for a photo of one of these lakes.