Mount Gilbert is a mountain located on the crest of the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
range in
California, United States.
It is situated on the shared boundary of
Kings Canyon National Park and
John Muir Wilderness, and along the common border of
Fresno County and
Inyo County. It is west of the community of
Big Pine, 0.8 mile (1.3 km) northwest of
Mount Johnson, and one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Mount Thompson, which is its nearest higher neighbor. Mount Gilbert ranks as the 127th-highest summit in California.
is significant as the south aspect rises above LeConte Canyon in less than two miles, and the northern aspect rises 3,340 feet above South Lake in 2.5 miles.
History
This mountain's name commemorates eminent geologist
Grove Karl Gilbert
Grove Karl Gilbert (May 6, 1843 – May 1, 1918), known by the abbreviated name G. K. Gilbert in academic literature, was an American geologist.
Biography
Gilbert was born in Rochester, New York and graduated from the University of Rochester. D ...
(1843–1918), who worked much of the Sierra Nevada range with the
Wheeler Survey. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1911 by the
U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
The
first ascent
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they e ...
of the peak was made September 15, 1928, by
Norman Clyde
Norman Clyde (April 8, 1885 – December 23, 1972) was a mountaineer, mountain guide, freelance writer, nature photographer, and self-trained naturalist. He is well known for achieving over 130 first ascents, many in California's Sierra Nevada a ...
, who is credited with 130 first ascents, most of which were in the Sierra Nevada.
Climbing
Established climbing routes:
* Southwest slope – – September 15, 1928, by Norman Clyde
* Northeast slope – class 3 – May 19, 2002, by party of seven
* Engram Couloir – class 5.6 – September 3, 1972 by Al Fowler, Dan Eaton, Ron Cale
* West face – class 5.7 – 1985 by Claude Fiddler, Vern Clevenger
Climate
Mount Gilbert is located in an
alpine climate
Alpine climate is the typical weather ( climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate.
Definition
There are multiple definitions ...
zone.
Most
weather front
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ...
s originate in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or
snowfall
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
onto the 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 ...
). Precipitation
runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
from this mountain drains south into the
Middle Fork Kings River, and north into
Bishop Creek.
See also
*
Mount Gilbert
References
External links
* Weather forecast
Mount Gilbert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Mount
Inyo National Forest
Mountains of Inyo County, California
Mountains of Fresno County, California
Mountains of Kings Canyon National Park
Mountains of the John Muir Wilderness
North American 3000 m summits
Mountains of Northern California
Sierra Nevada (United States)