Kahiltna Queen | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 12,380 ft (3,773 m) [1] [2] |
Prominence | 1,430 ft (440 m) [1] |
Parent peak | Peak 13050 [1] |
Isolation | 1.46 mi (2.35 km) [1] |
Coordinates | 62°58′49″N151°02′27″W / 62.980372°N 151.040952°W [3] |
Geography | |
Interactive map of Kahiltna Queen | |
Country | United States |
State | Alaska |
Borough | Matanuska-Susitna |
Protected area | Denali National Park |
Parent range | Alaska Range [3] |
Topo map | USGS Talkeetna D-3 |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Glacial horn |
Rock type | Granite [4] |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 1977 |
Kahiltna Queen is a 12,380-foot-elevation (3,773-meter) mountain summit in the U.S. state of Alaska.
Kahiltna Queen is located 140 miles (225 km) north of Anchorage in Denali National Park and the Alaska Range. It is situated east of the Denali Base Camp for mountaineers attempting to climb Denali, Mount Foraker, or Mount Hunter. Kahiltna Queen is set 6.24 mi (10 km) south of Denali's summit, 3.63 mi (6 km) south of Kahiltna Peaks, and 2.62 mi (4 km) northeast of Hunter. [3] Access to the area is via air taxi from Talkeetna. The peak has the shape of a steep glacial horn sculpted by three glaciers as it rises above the heads of West Fork Ruth Glacier, Southeast Fork Kahiltna Glacier, and the Tokositna Glacier. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,400 feet (1,036 meters) above the Tokositna Glacier in one-half mile (0.8 km). The peak ranks as the 54th-highest summit in Alaska. [2] The first ascent of the summit was made in April of 1977 by Alan Kearney, Mai Ulrich, and Chuck Sink who christened it "Humble Peak." [5] [6]
The mountain's toponym commemorates Frances Randall (1925–1984), the first Denali Base Camp manager for nine climbing seasons (1974–1983). [7] She was planning a tenth season, but cancer claimed her life. [8] Her expertise was instrumental in coordinating many rescues that saved lives and earned her the nicknames Kahiltna Queen and Guardian Angel of McKinley. [9] She was a member of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, often playing the violin at base camp over the CB radio. In 1964 she became the sixth woman to reach the summit of Denali. "Kahiltna" is a Athabaskan word meaning "from the source." [10]
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Kahiltna Queen is located in a Tundra climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers. [11] Weather systems are forced upwards by the Alaska Range (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for viewing and climbing. [12]
Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base-to-peak on land, measuring 18,000 ft (5,500 m), with a topographic prominence of 20,194 feet (6,155 m) and a topographic isolation of 4,621.1 miles (7,436.9 km), Denali is the third most prominent and third-most isolated peak on Earth, after Mount Everest and Aconcagua. Located in the Alaska Range in the interior of the U.S. state of Alaska, Denali is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Mount Foraker is a 17,400-foot (5,304 m) mountain in the central Alaska Range, in Denali National Park, 14 mi (23 km) southwest of Denali. It is the second highest peak in the Alaska Range, and the third highest peak in the United States. It rises almost directly above the standard base camp for Denali, on a fork of the Kahiltna Glacier also near Mount Hunter in the Alaska Range.
Mount Hunter or Begguya is a mountain in Denali National Park in Alaska. It is approximately eight miles (13 km) south of Denali, the highest peak in North America. "Begguya" means child in the Dena'ina language. Mount Hunter is the third-highest major peak in the Alaska Range.
Kahiltna Glacier is the longest glacier of the Alaska Range in the U.S. state of Alaska. It starts on the southwest slope of Denali near Kahiltna Pass. Its main channel runs almost due south between Mount Foraker to the west and Mount Hunter to the east. The name was first reported as "Car-ilt-nu Glacier" by Alaska Range explorer Lt. J.S. Herron in 1902. An alternate name is Kagheltnu Li'a. Kahiltna Glacier is the longest glacier in the Alaska Range at 44 miles (71 km) in length.
Talkeetna Air Taxi, established in 1947 as Talkeetna Air Service, is a Talkeetna, Alaska-based flight company. It operates wheel-ski equipped bush planes, and is one of less than a half-dozen air services with a permit to land in Denali National Park. Historically, business included supply runs to remote homesteads and prospecting claims—though in the past decade traffic has been primarily tourist and climber related.
Mount Stevens is a mountain located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. Mount Stevens is flanked to the northwest by Mount Hunter, and is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Denali.
Colin Haley is an American alpinist known for fast ascents of technical routes on mountains around the world. Haley is perhaps best known for his traverse of The Torres, first with Rolando Garibotti in 2008, and subsequently with Alex Honnold - this time completing the traverse in under 24 hours.
Mount Johnson is an 8,400+ ft mountain summit located in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve, in Alaska, United States. It is situated on the west side of the Ruth Gorge, 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Denali and six miles (9.7 km) south-southwest of The Moose's Tooth. The nearest higher neighbor is Mount Wake, 0.69 miles (1.11 km) to the northwest.
Radio Control Tower is an 8,670 ft (2,640 m) elevation nunatak located in the Southeast Fork Kahiltna Glacier valley in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated west of the Kahiltna base camp for mountaineers attempting to climb Denali or Mount Hunter. Access to the area is via air taxi from Talkeetna. Radio Control Tower is set 7.86 mi (13 km) south of Denali, 2.17 mi (3 km) northwest of Mount Hunter, and 1.3 mi (2 km) southeast of Mount Frances.
Mount Barrille is a 7,650 ft (2,330 m) mountain summit located in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated 2,650 feet above the Ruth Glacier at the gateway to the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, or The Great Gorge, depending on direction of travel. Barrille is set 11.43 mi (18 km) southeast of Denali, 3.37 mi (5 km) west of The Mooses Tooth, 3.68 mi (6 km) east of The Rooster Comb, and 1.42 mi (2 km) north of Mount Dickey which is the nearest higher peak. The mountain was named by famed explorer Dr. Frederick Cook for Edward Barrill (1861–1946), a horse packer from Darby, Montana, who was his sole companion during his 1906 claim to be the first to climb Denali. The claim was later disproved, and in 1909 Barrill signed an affidavit stating that they had not reached the summit. Cook referred to his companion as Barrille in his accounts of the expedition, and Barrille remains as the official spelling used by the United States Geological Survey.
Mount Frances is a 10,450 ft (3,190 m) mountain summit located in the Kahiltna Glacier valley in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated north of the Kahiltna Glacier base camp for mountaineers attempting to climb Denali, Mount Foraker, or Mount Hunter. The summit of Mt. Frances is the best viewpoint from which to see all three giants from one location. Mount Frances is set 7.43 mi (12 km) southwest of Denali, 3.47 mi (6 km) northwest of Mount Hunter, and 1.3 mi (2 km) northwest of Radio Control Tower. Access to the area is via air taxi from Talkeetna. The mountain's name honors Frances Randall (1925-1984), the first Denali Base Camp manager for nine climbing seasons (1974-1983). She was planning a tenth season, but cancer claimed her life. Her expertise was instrumental in coordinating many rescues that saved lives and earned her the nicknames Guardian Angel of McKinley, and Kahiltna Queen. She was a member of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, often playing the violin at base camp over the CB radio. In 1964 she became the sixth woman to reach the summit of Mount McKinley.
Pease Peak is a 7,750 ft (2,360 m) mountain summit located in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated 1,500 feet above the Tokositna Glacier to its west, and Ruth Glacier to the east, along the southern margin of the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, 11 mi (18 km) southeast of Denali, 2.84 mi (5 km) southeast of The Rooster Comb, and 0.45 mi (1 km) west of Mount Dickey, which is the nearest higher peak. Dickey forms the eastern buttress of Pittock Pass, whereas Pease forms the western buttress. Although overlooked as a climbing destination, the peak is often seen due to its proximity to the air taxi landing area and the Sheldon Chalet immediately north of the peak. Pease Peak, and its variant name Mount Pease, is based on a mountain climber's name that was published in the late 1940s.
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