Very enjoyable winter outing to Castle Peak and Basin Peak from the Boreal parking lot. The snow was very firm in the early morning, and I was able to make it to the summit with bare boots/microspikes in under 2h. I did climb the cl. 3 summit block (east tower). I'm not a great climber, but there are plenty of good holds up the near-vertical 30 ft route. From Castle, I followed the ridge to Basin Peak, still in bare boots as the ridge was only half snow-covered. I put on the snowshoes and dropped SW off the summit, going cross country down sunny slopes and along a forested creek to the tranquil and snow-covered round valley. I crossed the meadow to the Peter Grubb Hut, then followed the PCT back to Castle Pass. Finished off the day with a hike up Andesite Peak. ~5:10h RT. A very satisfying hike for not too much effort. 10/10!