Mount Hayes is the highest mountain in the eastern

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 ...

, in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. Despite not being a

fourteener In the mountaineering parlance of the Western United States, a fourteener (also spelled 14er) is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least . The 96 fourteeners in the United States are all west of the Mississippi River. Colorado Co ...

, it is one of the largest peaks in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in terms of rise above local terrain. For example, the Northeast Face rises 8,000 feet (2,440 m) in approximately 2 miles (3.2 km). This large vertical relief contributes to Mount Hayes being the 51st most topographically prominent peak in the world. The mountain was named in 1898 by W. J. Peters and A. H. Brooks of the

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...

for Charles Willard Hayes (1858–1916), a geologist with the Survey from 1887 through 1911. On 29 July 1941 Bradford Washburn, Barbara Washburn, Benjamin Ferris, Sterling Hendricks, Henry Hall, and William Shand reached 12,650 ft. via the North Ridge but a storm was approaching and, with the summit only a little over 1000ft higher and just half a mile away, the party decided that they should descend to safety. On August 1, 1941 the party made another attempt, Hall remained in camp but the others were successful in making the first ascent of Mount Hayes. The route up the North Ridge wasn't repeated until 1975, it ''"is considered one of the great landmarks of Alaskan mountaineering because of its great technical difficulty at the time"''. Today's standard climbing route is the East Ridge ( Alaska Grade 2+). Mount Hayes is not frequently climbed due to its remoteness and the resulting access difficulties.

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 Hayes 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 long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports glaciers on its slopes including the Hayes Glacier. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Tanana River

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing or viewing.

Gallery

File:Mount Hayes north.jpg, North aspect viewed from Molybdenum Ridge File:Alaska - Mt. Deborrah - NARA - 23939807.jpg, Aerial view File:Mount Hayes from south.jpg, Mount Hayes from the south

References

Sources

Michael Wood and Colby Coombs, ''Alaska: A Climbing Guide'', The Mountaineers, 2001.

External links

"Mount Hayes, Alaska" on Peakbagger

Current weather at Mount Hayes from weather.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Mount Alaska Range Landforms of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska Hayes Mountains of Unorganized Borough, Alaska

Climate

Gallery

See also

References

Sources

External links