Mount Hunter (Alaska)
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| Mount Hunter | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 14,573 feet (4,442 m) |
| Location | Alaska, United States |
| Range | Alaska Range |
| Prominence | 4,633 ft (1,412 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Topo map | USGS Talkeetna D-3 |
| First ascent | 1954 by Fred Beckey, Heinrich Harrer, Henry Meybohm |
| Easiest route | serious snow/ice/rock climb (Alaska Grade 4, 5.8, AI 3) |
Mount Hunter, or Begguya, is a mountain in Denali National Park in Alaska. It is approximately 8 miles (13 km) south of Mount McKinley, or Denali, the highest peak in North America. "Begguya" means child (of Denali) in the Dena'ina language. Mount Hunter is the third highest major peak in the Alaska Range.
Mount Hunter has a complex structure: it is topped by a large, low-angled glacier plateau, connecting the North (Main) Summit and the South Summit (13,965 feet/4,257 m). Long, corniced ridges extend in various directions; between them are exceptionally steep faces.
[edit] Naming of the mountain
The native name for the mountain is Begguya, meaning "Denali's Child." Early prospectors referred to the mountain as Mount Roosevelt. In 1903, Robert Dunn, a reporter for the "New York Commercial Advertiser," visited the area as part of Frederick Cook's attempt to climb Mount McKinley. He bestowed the name of his aunt Anna Falconnet Hunter (1885-1941), who financed his trip, on a high nearby mountain, prominent from the northwest. This was in fact a different peak, now known as Kahiltna Dome. Unfortunately, the name Hunter was mistakenly applied to the present-day Mount Hunter by a government surveyor in 1906.
[edit] Climbing history
Despite being much lower in elevation than Mount McKinley, Mount Hunter is a more difficult climb, due to its steep faces and corniced ridges; it also sees far less traffic than its larger neighbor.
Fred Beckey, Heinrich Harrer and Henry Meybohm completed the first ascent in 1954, via the long West Ridge; this was a great accomplishment for the time, and used techniques such as extensive front-pointing which were unusual in the climbing world.
Beginning in 1977, with Michael Kennedy and George Lowe's climb of a route on the northwest face of Mount Hunter, this steep rock and ice face has been the scene of many landmark hard climbs.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ This is excluding the North Peak and other subsummits of Mount McKinley.
- ^ Jonathan Waterman, High Alaska, AAC Press, 1988.
