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aa-lex
climber
Livermore
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 14, 2009 - 07:13pm PT
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So, I'm trying to learn about the full Palisade Traverse, but there is seemingly little information around.
Everything I find is from T-Bolt to Sill, but I'm curious what the official full traverse is.
Is it Temple to T-Bolt? Any of the peaks further north considered part of the traverse, or is the Middle Pal ridge included instead of Temple Crag?
Any info welcomed.....
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nutjob
Stoked OW climber
San Jose, CA
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Apr 14, 2009 - 07:20pm PT
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Throw in Agassiz or Winchell?
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aa-lex
climber
Livermore
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 14, 2009 - 07:26pm PT
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yEAH i WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THOSE TOO....
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Apr 14, 2009 - 07:28pm PT
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The full Palisades Traverse is Southfork Pass to Bishop Pass. Stays on the Crest, and yes, includes Middle Pal and Clyde and the (not to be confused) 11 summits sawblade of the Palisade Crest.
Temple Crag to Thunderbolt would be traversing the North Fork, the overwhelmingly more popular part of the Palisades, but far from all of it. The crest of the South Fork is twice as long and very little known by comparison.
You haven't found much because there isn't much written. Some info on ST here, spread around. I can say more later, but first gotta do taxes.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Apr 14, 2009 - 07:28pm PT
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How about split mountain? used to be south palisade, sure looks like a palisade.
How about the inconsolables? They too look like the palisades.
If you take my advice, you'll be up there a long time.
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GDavis
Trad climber
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Apr 14, 2009 - 07:30pm PT
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Its from South Fork to Agassiz... long long ways.
edit - doug, ya beat me to it!
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tom brogan
Trad climber
san diego, ca
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Apr 14, 2009 - 07:31pm PT
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From my friend the late Michael Reardon:
Rating: VI 5.9
Start/Finish: South Fork to Bishop Pass via Ridgeline
Description: 8 miles long, covers nine major peaks, six over 14,000 feet
Balcony Peak: fourth class, 13,845
Disappointment Peak: fourth class, 13,917
Middle Palisade: 5.6, 14,012
Bivouac Peak: 5.7
Only mentioned in the Moynier book
Norman Clyde Peak: 13,920
Williams Peak: 5.2, 13,622
Palisade Crest: IV 5.7, 13,520
12 summits each named for key figures in Hobbit and Lord of the Rings with Gandalf Peak being the highest
Mt. Jepson: third class, 13,390
Mt. Sill: third class, 14,153
V-Notch
Polemonium Peak: fourth class, 14.080
The name comes from "sky pilot" flower - Polemonium Eximium, which grows at high alititude on rock ledges and slopes.
U-Notch to chimney pitch (5.6)
North Palisade: 5.6, 14,242
Starlight Peak: 5.4, 14,200
The milk bottle at the peak provides big exposure.
Thunderbolt Peak: third class/5.9, 14,003
High jumped and slapped the tip
Mt. Winchell: third class, 13,775
Mt. Agassiz: third class, 13,891
First Ascent: John Fischer & Jerry Adams, July 1979
Seven days after spending a week caching supplies
Second Ascent: Scott McCook & Adam Penney, June 2004
Twelve days after spending a week caching supplies
Third Ascent: Michael Reardon, August 2005
No supplies cached along the way
Time: 22 hours from Southfork Pass to Bishop Pass, 27 hours total back to Glacier Notch
Started on Thursday, August 18th at 7:00 pm at Southfork Pass (12,560) finished on Friday, August 19th at 5:00 pm at Bishop Pass (11,960) back to Glacier Notch below Mt. Sill at 10:00 pm.
Mini-Epics:
Dusk/Moonlight beginning then nightmares during 2 hour nap on Firebird ridge
Norman Clyde screaming here I go to hell!
Dreams of dog Reno dead
Dad (dead seven years ago) speaking to me
Thunder and rock fall mixing into one
Booming rhythm when my ear touched the ground from military base
Found cache after Norman Clyde
Two gallons of water with food for a team, didn't use any of it, just curious who's it was
Dropped backpack at second peak of Palisade Crest
Finished the crest, walked along the base on west side to get backpack because car keys were in it
Jepson to Sill had snow problems, ran down west side, over a ridge and back up to Sill (missed 100+ yards of ridgeline)
Met two older peakbaggers on the way up who told me the time (12:30?) but did not see them on the way down very strange and couldnt stop wondering if they were hallucinations
Did not have to boil water because running snow melt on Jepson drank a full liter and refilled water bottles which saved time
Basically ran from Starlight to Bishop Pass Trail
Vomited at Winchell
Dry heaved at Bishop Pass trailhead with a bunch of tourists around - not pleasant.
Sun was getting lower and wanted to get back over to east side to camp past Sam Mack meadow before sun went down (headlamp on trail rather than bivy/get lost) and walking off the vomit feeling started base of peaks on west side to get pictures and enjoying what just happened, then began following obvious footpath up into a notch ended up going to the point of no return and topped out at North Palisade - Mark Niles on the walkie-talkie he was waiting for me in Glacier Notch I traversed back to Sill, then down the third class to the tent and best damn soup I ever had!
Personal:
6 pairs of panties
Donatello for conversation
5 tubes of Vagesil
Only signed one summit register Polemonium (after the wildflower/John )
Purple panties to match purple flower
Polemonium Eximium: the sky pilot. Purple flower that typically grows above 12,000 feet and lined the entire ridge, very cool experience
Michael
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aa-lex
climber
Livermore
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 14, 2009 - 07:31pm PT
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tOM: THAT THE POINT DUDE
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salad
climber
Escondido
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Apr 14, 2009 - 08:52pm PT
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lets do it!
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Splater
climber
Grey Matter
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Sep 17, 2009 - 01:45pm PT
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I saw an entry in the Agassiz summit register from 2 guys that did the whole thing from South Pass in 37 hours nonstop.
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The Wedge
Boulder climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 17, 2009 - 02:21pm PT
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You guys make me sick.....Just go do the thing. YOu need no BETA. If you want it then "stay on the ridge". If not, your off rt. Where the Freak is the adventure. GO GET SOME!
I saw Michael on the south fork of Big Pine creek. I was going in and he was coming out somewhere below Finger Lake. I should look up the date and find out when exactly it was.
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Rosamond
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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Jan 13, 2010 - 06:41pm PT
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Michael himself, on his website, admitted that he did not tag all the "lord of the rings" spires. If I remember, he tagged about half of them. This region of the traverse is the technical crux section. In that sense, I don't consider his work as a completed traverse, anymore than if he had bagged Middle Pal, then walked along the base of the crest from southfork to bishop pass on climber's trails. Did he make "A" traverse of the palisades? Yes. Was it a good accomplishment? Yes. But Did he do THE palisade traverse? No. Not anymore than jugging 6 pitches of the sea of dreams on someone else's lines counts as an "ascent".
Sorry if this unsettles some folks. But he missed/bypassed several of the crux sections in favor of easier scrambling.
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Jan 13, 2010 - 06:53pm PT
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Rosamond, are the "lord of the rings" spires during the palisade crest section?
Here's the whole route - this image emphasizes the southern section. southfork pass far left and agassiz far right
and the northern section here looking south from the summit of agassiz
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426
climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Jan 13, 2010 - 07:12pm PT
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You might try to get a hold of Nathaniel Walker. He's over on 8a.nu, you could msg...
I stole this from his card...
Free solo, Grade VI. This is the 8.5 mile long, unbroken ridge that makes up almost the entire Palisade Range in the High Sierra. Averaging an altitude close to 14,000 ft for the entire length, it is the highest continuous ridge in the lower 48 states. We guess there to be somewhere between 70,000 and 80,000 ft of rock climbing. 37.5 hrs bivy to Agassiz, 40.75 hrs bivy to car. Left the bivy at 3:15 am on 8-13-09 and topped Agassiz at 4:45 on 8-14-09. Traded a rope, rack, swami belt, and belay devise, for a down coat and sleeping bag between two people, and two space blankets. Still no sleep due to ripping 32 degree winds that started at dark and lasted through the morning. 20 summit registers above 13,000 ft and 6 above 14,000 ft. Potentially the hardest route I will ever send.
!
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bubble boy
Big Wall climber
topanga, CA
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Feb 22, 2011 - 11:39am PT
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BUMP
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Sebastopol, CA
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Feb 22, 2011 - 12:08pm PT
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Looks big from across the valley.
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jfailing
Trad climber
A trailer park in the Sierras
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Feb 22, 2011 - 06:32pm PT
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Did Mike Reardon do the traverse in jeans? I heard a story about some hikers who saw him laying down dry heaving on top of one of the peaks, thinking he was some local kook who had gotten in way over his head...
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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Feb 22, 2011 - 07:44pm PT
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