- published: 07 Aug 2010
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A palisade—sometimes called a stakewall or a paling—is typically a fence or wall made from wooden stakes or tree trunks and used as a defensive structure or enclosure.
Typical construction consisted of small or mid-sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no free space in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were driven into the ground and sometimes reinforced with additional construction. The height of a palisade ranged from a few feet to nearly ten feet. As a defensive structure, palisades were often used in conjunction with earthworks.
Palisades were an excellent option for small forts or other hastily constructed fortifications. Since they were made of wood, they could often be quickly and easily built from readily available materials. They proved to be effective protection for short-term conflicts and were an effective deterrent against small forces. However, because they were wooden constructions they were also vulnerable to fire and siege weapons.
This animation is a historical reconstruction of the changes which have taken place on the Palisade Glacier, Sierra Nevada, since the peak of the Little Ice Age.
In early September we headed out of Big Pine Creek in Inyo County for an overnight hike to Palisade Glacier. (Yes, there are still glaciers in California!) The hike was going by faster than we anticipated and we ended up dropping some equipment and doing the full 18 miles in one day. There was a fire over the sierra that was blowing smoke into the area for most of the day. If you look closley you can see the smoke in most of the shots. We hiked pasted 1st, 2nd and 3rd lakes before taking a left hand turn to Palisade Glacier. We didn't make it all the way to the base of the glacier but came within a mile to see if visually. Facebook.com/VisitEasternSierra Instagram.com/MonoCountyTourism Twitter.com/EasternSierra Website: www.MonoCounty.org
The Palisade Glacier is located on the northeast side of the Palisades within the John Muir Wilderness in the central Sierra Nevada of California.The glacier descends from the flanks of four mountain peaks over 14,000 ft (4,300 m) in elevation of which North Palisade (14,242 ft (4,341 m)) is third highest peak in the Sierra Nevada Range.
August accent of Mt. Sill via the Swiss Arete. Ended up setting high camp at Camp Gayley 12,200ft and making the summit push the following day. Threatening thunderstorms and loose rock were of biggest concern. But, despite the challenges we were able to summit on time with near perfect weather. Another epic trip in the Palisade region.
Backcountry telemark skiing on the Palisade Glacier, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; Keith Weiland, Dylan Bogdan, and Matthew Green
Big Pine Lakes and Palisade Glacier Hiking on July 23~25 2016