I decided to hike Castle, Basin and Andesite (again!) adding in some exploratory trails.  Because I do Castle all the time, all season, I did the usual as well as climb on some of the other ‘castles' before heading over the Basin. It was windier than predicted but still fun. From Basin, down to the Peter Grub Hut then up and off to Andesite. From Andesite I wanted to check out the ‘trail' that showed on my GAIA but was nameless. It took some doing but finally found it and then headed on my adventure. Turns out it is called The Hole in the Ground Trail and connects to a series of other trails like the Lola Montez trail and from the PCT to the Donner Lake Rim Trail.  The wildflowers were amazing in the meadows and I found a new flower on the ridge: Toothed Owl's Clover. It was a gorgeous day to be out and good to acclimate having been on the road in Washington (Olympic National Park and Mt Baker area) and Canada (Whistler and Squamish).

GAIA route: 11.2 miles, 2256 elevation gain. Solo