Mount Gerdine is an mountain

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 ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Description

Mount Gerdine is located west-northwest of

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

in the

Tordrillo Mountains The Tordrillo Mountains are a small mountain range in the Matanuska-Susitna and Kenai Peninsula Boroughs in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska. They lie approximately west-northwest of Anchorage. The range extends approximately ...

which are a subrange of the

Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, mountain range in the Southcentral Alaska, southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoard on G ...

. The remote glaciated Gerdine ranks as the second-highest peak in the Tordrillo Mountains, and 201st-highest summit in Alaska. It is set north of Mount Torbert which is the nearest higher peak.

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 west face rises over in one mile (1.6 km).

History

The mountain's name honors Thomas Golding Gerdine (1872–1930), U.S. Geological Survey topographic engineer who made several reconnaissance trips in Alaska at the end of the 19th century. He is credited with first ascents of

Glacier Peak Glacier Peak or Dakobed (known in the Sauk-Suiattle dialect of the Lushootseed language as "Tda-ko-buh-ba" or "Takobia") is the most isolated of the five major stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) of the Cascade Volcanoes, Cascade Volcanic Arc ...

, Black Mountain, and White Chuck Mountain. The toponym was officially adopted in 1931 by the

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...

. 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 Mt. Gerdine's summit was made on May 5, 1963, by Rod Wilson,

Lowell Thomas Jr. Lowell Thomas Jr. (October 6, 1923 – October 1, 2016) was an American politician and film producer who collaborated with his father, the accomplished reporter and author Lowell Thomas, on several projects before becoming an Alaskan state sen ...

, Dr. George Wichman, Paul Crews Jr., and Paul Crews Sr.Paul B. Crews, ''North America, United States, Alaska, Mount Gerdine, Alaska Range''
1964, publications.americanalpineclub.org

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 Gerdine is located in a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers. Weather systems are forced upwards by the Alaska Range (

orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

), causing heavy precipitation in the form of snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −20 °F. This climate supports the Hayes Glacier and the North and South Branches of the Trimble Glacier surrounding the peak. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing.''Denali FAQ'', American Alpine Institute
alpineinstitute.com, Retrieved 2024-01-08.

Gallery

File:North Trimble Glacier, junction of valley glacier, wave ogives, icefall, and bergschrund, August 26, 1969 (GLACIERS 6450).jpg, Mount Gerdine centered at top, with North Trimble Glacier File:Mount Gerdine and Tordrillo Mountains.jpg, Mount Gerdine is the highest peak to left

References

External links