Middle Pal - route from Finger Lake

[Quandary]

Does anyone have tips on the route from Finger Lake to the base of the route on Middle Pal? Which way goes, around the south side or north side of Finger?

[mokelumnekid]

I strongly suggest taking a helmet for rockfall if anyone else is on the route. Depending on how hard the snow is at the bottom, you may also want an ice axe to get up to the rock.

Here are some pics from our trip in 2003:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mokelumnek ... 274559688/

We camped at the north end of Finger Lake (which runs N-S) and turned it on the north side as I recall. The scramble to the summit was the easiest part tho we did get a shower going up and a front was moving in. I had a couple of vexing moments in steep, mobile scree on the way down (but off the massif itself).

PM me if you want more detailed info.

[Snow Nymph]

We went to the tarns closer to the summit and avoided Finger Lake.

[Quandary]

Thanks to both of you! I found a route description for getting to the tarn via Brainerd Lake, along the north shore of Finger, and I think we'll try that way. I suspect the gulley outlet of Finger could still be a raging river and not hikeable next week. Hope to run into you while we're out there, Cori!

[Snow Nymph]

I wasn't able to get that far south. I made it back to Mammoth by 6pm by hiking out of Mosquito Flats. Next time!