I Hiked the Northeast Face of Middle Palisade yesterday with my buddy Niels- a mere 14, 012 feet.
When we got to the glacial moraine around noon, dark clouds rolled in up above and I had my first doubt about the safety of going up the rock. I seemed to think the wind was blowing them in a favorable direction (away from the summit), however there was no way of telling what was on the other side. Niels, being the smarter of the two of us, decided the top of the moraine was enough excitement for one day. As for me, I wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet and decided to head up the Secor Chute and then for the Main Chute. Fortunately, the storms never came my way, and I had a very enjoyable hike/climb up and down the 3rd class route. Crossing the moat on the exit was a thrill. The moat was about 15 to 20 feet deep by my estimate and on one side covered by a disintegrating snow bridge. The crossing seemed to be nothing more than a snow covered chock stone! It wasn't too bad, though, and was easily done with cautious foot work. I was glad to see that Niels waited for me and we had an enjoyable hike out.
This was my 9th CA 14er and one of the most beautiful Sierra destinations I have seen so far. If I do it again, I would like to stay at Finger Lake and climb some of the neighboring giants such as Norman Clyde Peak.
I haven't figured out how to post photos directly to this page, but the link below has some of the photos (the first 6 are Middle Palisade and the rest are Russell)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66689212@N04/?saved=1
Last edited by snowmanrn; 08/28/11 08:47 PM.
