![]() There was a volume and variety of flowers along the trail that was literally jaw dropping. I was still moving quickly, when I was moving, but I was stopping about every ten feet to take more pictures. My fast pace fell of abruptly as I passed through a narrow stretch of the canyon and entered into the best Sierra wildflower bloom I have ever seen. Fortunately, I was in good shape and had plenty of energy so I blasted through this section at a reasonably fast clip. You slog uphill across the slopes of a valley that has no shade and steep enough sides to block out any sort of view. The first few miles of the hike up to the Palisade Glacier is one of those trails that can't be over fast enough for me. And at times it is a welcome distraction from thinking about pain and fatigue and how much damn trail is left before your destination. ![]() I have taken to listening to audiobooks while doing long solo approaches in the mountains it helps to pass the time while slogging up the more unattractive sections of trail. I did have a fair amount of gear since I knew I would be doing some snow climbing and I figured that camping at the glacier warranted bring my warmer sleeping bag. I reached the trailhead around 9:30 and took a few minutes to get myself and my gear in order. I managed to arrive at the ranger station in Lone Pine shortly after the doors opened and in short order I had myself a permit for the North Fork of Big Pine Creek. Once again my alarm went off early, and I lurched to the bathroom in an attempt to get out the door and on the road by 5am. This plan evolved somewhat based on my energy and the conditions I found on the routes, and in the process became more awesome. Day two climb Sill and Polemonium and day three climb Starlight and Thunderbolt then hike out and drive home. My initial plan for the trip was to drive up, get my permit, and hike in to the glacier on day one. ![]() I am not sure why these three "non-peaks" make it on to the list of 14ers, but they are almost always included and they are all fun to climb. By technical definitions only two of these are true "peaks", (Sill and North Pal), while the other three do not have enough prominence to classify as independent peaks. Along this arc of the ridge there are five summits that are included on the California 14er list, Mount Sill, Mount Polemonium, North Palisade, Starlight Peak and Thunderbolt Peak. ![]() The Palisade ridge is rather long and complex, and in the area around the Palisade Glacier it creates a semi circular amphitheater rising above the snow and ice of the glacier. I went back and forth between these two options and eventually decided that heading to the Palisades as soon as possible would be my best bet for good snow conditions in the various couliors I would be using to attain the crest of the ridge line. However, I was also being drawn back to the Palisades region and the five 14,000' summits lying on the ridge around the Palisade Glacier. I had picked out a loop of 25 miles and 5 peaks, leaving out of the Onion Valley trailhead. So I will pick up the story from there.Īt the beginning of August I had a few days blocked off for a mountain trip and I was unsure of which mountains I should go climb. I left off with my first two 14ers of the summer, Tyndall and Williamson. So I have been slacking on the blog, but I am pretty sure that the reason for that is all the adventures I have been having this summer.
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