Mount Donkin is a

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada.

Description

Mount Donkin is located in Glacier National Park and is part of the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mic ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the

Incomappleux River The Incomappleux River is in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. Entering the Beaton Arm of Upper Arrow Lake, the river is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The upper reaches of the Incomappleux valley are home ...

. Mount Donkin is more notable for its steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation.

Topographic relief Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

is significant as the summit rises 1,840 metres (6,037 ft) above the Incomappleux River in . The nearest higher neighbor is Michel Peak on Mount Dawson, to the east.

History

While in the Selkirks in 1888, Rev.

William Spotswood Green William Spotswood Green (10 September 1847 – 22 April 1919) was an Irish naturalist, who specialised in marine biology. Born at Youghal and educated at Trinity College Dublin,Fallon, N.: ''The Armada in Ireland'', Wesleyan University Pr ...

, Alpine Club, London, named this mountain after fellow club member William Frederick Donkin (1845–1888), Honorary Secretary of the Alpine Club, who perished that year in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. The nearby Mount Fox was also named in memory of another member of the club,

Harry Fox Harry Fox (born Arthur Carringford; May 25, 1882 – July 20, 1959) was an American vaudeville dancer, actor, and comedian. Biography Fox is most notably famous for being related as name-source to the Fox Trot dance in New York. In "Dance Mad" ...

, who also perished with Donkin during their attempt to be the first to climb Koshtan-Tau. The bodies of Donkin, Fox, and their two Swiss guides (Kaspar Streich and Johann Fischer) were never found. The

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

of the summit was made in 1890 by Harold Ward Topham, who also has a nearby mountain named after him,

Mount Topham Mount Topham, is a mountain summit located in Glacier National Park of British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Selkirk Mountains range. The mountain is a remote east of Revelstoke, and southwest of Golden. Its nearest higher peak is Mou ...

. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on May 29, 1901, by the

Geographical Names Board of Canada The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canad ...

Climate

Based on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Mount Donkin is located in a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Donkin Glacier on the northeast slope of the peak.

Gallery

References

External links