Palisade Mountain, Sapphire Range

From Palisade Mountaint: El Capitan,, and (I think) the Lonesome Bachelor and Como Peaks to the left.

This winter has been a strange one: such great snow before the New Year, and then a dry spell since. In fact, winter has kept its distance for so long that it's easy to forget that it still has a strong hold in the mountains. This really hit home for me when I joined Dan Saxton on a Rocky Mountaineers trip to Palisade Mountain in the Sapphires last weekend. There was a lot of cold powdery snow still hanging on up there. 

Dan climbing the last pitch to the summit. Skalkaho Mountain is behind him.

From Palisade: Mount Haggin in the Pintlers, which I climbed with Al Parker a few weeks back.

Despite the Sapphires proximity to the Bitterroot Valley, they are little visited due to their more impressive neighbors across the valley. And they have a different character, not only because of their more gentle, rolling terrain, but because the forest is more reminiscent of the Flint/Pintler/Butte area, which I love. Up on the divide, the white bark pine were old-growth and wandering through them was one of the highlights of the day. 

Palisade summit cairn with St. Joseph on the right.

Kent Peak: the Sapphire Range high point.

To get to Palisade Mountain, you start at on the Willow Creek Road trail head. To get there, turn east off of Highway 93, drive through Corvallis, and head up Willow Creek. The trail head is at the end of the road. 

Palisade from the ridge across Willow Creek.

Palisade from the valley on the way out.