Starry August evening with the Palisades mountains against the sky. The dark lane dividing the bright band of he Milky Way is the Dark Rift where new stars form. Below, the light area is the Palisade Glacier now, much smaller as the result of global warming. Palisades Glacier is the southernmost glacier in North America at the elevation of 12,400 feet. The trail to this point is a difficult class three route and about 10 miles on foot from the trailhead.