East Ridge of Mt Winchell July 18th-19th 2011
After our weekend in Yosemite, we slipped south to the Palisades, the most
rugged high peaks in California. We hiked in for a planned 5 day trip. The hike
in was about 8 miles and was in the blazing sun at first and then past beautiful
lakes. The bugs liked the lakes too and we finally felt right at home. The next
day we slept in a bit and this proved a big error. When we got to the bershrund
of North Palisades and then Thunderbolt, we found them too soft to cross safely
and very scary. Rather than risk it, we headed for nearby Mt. Winchell, which
Courtney highly recommended. We ascended the east ridge, staying right on the
crest, which provided fun and aesthetic movement, with meaningful exposure. The
top offered wondrous views in all directions. In fading light, we found a new
way down to our camp, where we had dinner and the bugs had us for dinner. We had
seen only one person all day, a lone figure far off on the glacier. A lovely
tour of the cirque
Pictures?
https://picasaweb.google.com/aramv14...ly18th19th2001
