Mt Sill via Scimitar Pass

(Copyright © 2007 Piero Scaruffi | Legal restrictions)
If you would like the original, high-resolution pictures, contact me


Notes of this trip | Back to California hikes | Pictures of the world


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Looking west from Willow Lake: Palisade Crest, Mt Sill, Glacier Notch, Mt Gayley

South Fork trailhead

South Fork trailhead

South Fork trailhead

South Fork trailhead

South Fork trailhead

Scimitar Pass

Mid Palisade from the pass above Willow Lake (2022)

Palisade Crest to Mt Jepson

Palisade Crest, Scimitar Pass, Jepson, Sill

The Breinard-Willow sign

Palisade Crest

Mt Sill, Glacier Notch, Mt Gayley

The western ridge of the second canyon west of Willow Lake

Scimitar Pass, Jepson, Sill, Gayley

Climbing the ridge

Climbing the ridge

Climbing the ridge

Climbing the ridge

The meadow

Shortcut from the meadow to the Scimitar Pass canyon

The shortcut

Climbing the ridge

Climbing the ridge

Climbing the ridge

Middle Palisade to the left of Palisade Crest

Elinor Lake

Glacier Notch between Sill and Gayley

Elinor Lake and Mt Gayley

View from the ridge

Looking back where we came from

Palisade Crest and Scimitar Pass

Elinor Lake

From Elinor Lake: Palisades Crest, Scimitar Pass, Mt Jepson, Mt Sill

Notch, Palisade Crest, Mt Jepson, Mt Sill and Mt Gayley

Climbing towards the notch

The notch

Mt Sill

The notch

The notch

The view below

Ice

Mt Sill

Elinor Lake and nearby ponds

Icy pond

Elinor Lake

Willow Lake and where we came from

Willow Lake behind us

Mt Jepson and Mt Sill

View of the lakes from the notch

At the notch

Turning around the notch

The glacier of the Palisade Crest

The glacier of the Palisade Crest

Turning around the notch

The view up from the notch

The notch from the other side

The notch from the other side

The notch from the other side

The notch from the south (coming down from Scimitar Pass)

The notch from the south (coming down from Scimitar Pass)

Scimitar canyon down below

To the east of the notch (Mid Palisade glacier)

Lower section of the Palisade Crest

Higher section of the Palisade Crest

Option 2: Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

The same canyon on a normal snow year

Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

Palisade Crest

Palisade Crest

Second waterfall

Second waterfall

Quartz

Quartz

Highest waterfall

Highest waterfall

Highest waterfall

Palisade Crest from below

Giant quartz

Palisade Crest from below

Palisade Crest from below

Giant quartz

Passing by the notch

Up along the ridge

Gandalf

An endless moraine

The Palisade Crest

Palisade Crest from below

The penultimate section before Scimitar Pass

Gandalf from below (north face)

Gandalf from below (north face)

Gandalf from below (north face)

Gandalf from below (north face)

The last section before Scimitar Pass

Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

Up the canyon to Scimitar Pass

Scimitar Pass

Looking down

Palisade Crest

The way we came up

Mt Sill

The other side of Scimitar Pass

To recognize where the pass is

To recognize where the pass is

Impossible traverse from Jepson to Sill

Scimitar Lake

Palisade Crest from southwest

Jepson and Sill

Sill and Gayley

Scimitar Pass

The view behind

Elinor Lake

From Elinor Lake to Owens Valley

Palisades Crest

The "pass" is somewhere up there

Towards Scimitar Pass

Towards Scimitar Pass

First clear view of the pass

The broad face towards the pass

The twin towers of the Middle Palisade

Up the ridge

The pass

The Palisades Crest

Middle Palisade

The way to the Middle Palisade glacier

Jepson and Sill and Gayley to the other side

Jepson and Sill

Willow Lake and nearby ponds

Palisade Crest glacier

The notch behind us

Scimitar Pass

Last scramble towards Scimitar Pass

Last scramble towards Scimitar Pass

Last scramble towards Scimitar Pass

Norman Clyde

Looking down from the pass

At Scimitar Pass (eastern side)

Barrett Peak, Mt Jepson and Mt Sill

Mt Sill from Scimitar Pass

At Scimitar Pass (western side)

Looking down from Scimitar Pass all the way to Owens Valley

Cairn at Scimitar Pass

Mt Jepson, Mt Sill, an unnamed peak and Polemonium Peak from Scimitar Pass

Looking back at the final scramble

The pass

Palisade Crest at the pass

Scimitar Pass

The ridge we came from

Mt Sill

Mt Jepson in front of the pass

The ramp we came up from

Palisade Crest glacier

Palisade Crest glacier

View south from Scimitar Pass

Barrett Peak from Scimitar Pass

The glacier between Barrett and Sill

View south from Scimitar Pass

The route to Mt Sill from Scimitar Pass

Descending into the saddle between Scimitar Pass and Mt Jepson

Descending the west side of Scimitar Pass

Mt Jepson

The pass viewed from the other side (top right)

Scimitar Pass from the west (it is just to the left of the little pyramid)

Scimitar Pass from the saddle

Scimitar Pass from the saddle

Descending into the saddle

View south from the saddle

Mt Jepson

Mt Jepson

Mt Sill from Mt Jepson

Mt Jepson

The view south from Mt Jepson

To the west of Jepson (the Polemonium-Sill glacier)

Mt Jepson

Palisade Crest to the east

Palisade Crest to the east

Polemonium-Sill Glacier (where we are heading)

The lake to the south

Descending towards the lake

The pass from below (it's in the middle right of the picture)

Location of the pass (next to the monolith on the right)

Mt Jepson from below

The lake down below

The lake to the south

Descending towards the lake

Mt Jepson from down below

The Palisade Crest from the other side

The place where you turn right

The place where you turn right

Last look at the Crest

Up the canyon

Up the canyon

The lake down below

View down below

The moraine that we are ascending

Up the moraine

Up the moraine

Up the moraine

Up the moraine

Up the moraine

Up the moraine

The wall separating Jepson and Sill

Up the moraine

Jepson, Scimitar Pass and the Crest

Somewhere up there is the summit of Mt Sill

Continues here for the views from Sill


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(Copyright © 2007 Piero Scaruffi | Legal restrictions)
If you would like the original, high-resolution pictures, contact me