This page introduces my 1977 Dusy Basin Photo Essay.

During the summer of 1977, my younger brother Craig graciously and courageously agreed to join me on a short backpacking trip to the Dusy Basin area, in the Southern Sierra. Our goal was to explore the Dusy Basin and Le Conte Canyon areas.

We had a pretty good time, and shot a couple of rolls of film, with a 110 camera. Here are some of the best. You may view them as a slide show or an indexed list.

This trip was in the "good old days" of sierra backpacking: No water filters, no bear cannisters, no hiking poles, no supplex fabric, no gore tex parkas, etc. How we managed to survive, I'll never know. We did have nylon backpacks and vibram soled boots. That must have been it.

We started and ended the trip at South Lake (9,755 ft). We hiked over Bishop Pass, into Dusy Basin. The first night we camped in Dusy Basin, surrounded by the spectacular peaks in the area. On the second day, we descended into Le Conte Canyon and camped at Big Pete Meadows. This was our turnaround point. On the next day, we returned to Dusy Basin, for our last night on the trail. The fourth day was our exit day.

I really appreciated Craig's willingness to join me on this trip. He has not had further interest in backpacking, but I think he had an OK experience. This trip whetted my appetite for further exploration in the Southern Sierra.

It is highly likely that I have made some errors in identifying various geographic features in this web site. If you spot an error, please contact me at ffarmer.

Best Regards,

Frank R. Farmer

ffarmer