Mount Jepson 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 ...
in 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 primari ...
of California located on the shared boundary of
Fresno County
Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populo ...
and
Inyo County
Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is ...
in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, United States.
Description
The peak is set 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 primari ...
mountain range in the
Palisades area. It straddles the border shared by
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and ren ...
and
John Muir Wilderness
The John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California for , in the Inyo National Forest, Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist ...
. It is situated southwest of
Big Pine, southeast of
line parent
A peak's line parent is the closest higher peak on the highest ridge leading away from the peak's "key col". A col is the lowest point on the ridge between two summits and is roughly synonymous with pass, gap, saddle and notch. The highest col ...
Mount Sill, and northwest of proximate parent
Palisade Crest. Mount Jepson ranks as the 74th-highest peak in California,
and
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 above Elinore Lake in approximately one mile. The
John Muir Trail
The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite National Park, Yosemite, Kings Canyon National Park, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park, Se ...
passes below the south base of the peak, providing an approach option.
History
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 July 3, 1939, by Don McGeein, and Chet and Evelyn Errett.
This mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1971 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 ...
to honor
Willis Linn Jepson
Willis Linn Jepson (August 19, 1867 – November 7, 1946) was a late-19th and 20th century California botanist, professor, conservationist, and writer. A co-founder of the Sierra Club in 1892, he was much honored in later life for his rese ...
(1867–1946), Professor of Botany, University of California at Berkeley, conservationist, writer, and charter member of the
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...
.
Dr.
Lawrence R. Heckard, president of the California Botanical Society, submitted the name to the board for consideration for permanent official status. "Pine Marten Peak" had been a variant name.
Climate
Mount Jepson is located in an
alpine climate
Alpine climate is the typical 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 of alpine cli ...
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 ins ...
s originate in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (
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 them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation
runoff from this mountain drains northeast to
South Fork Big Pine Creek, as well as south into Palisade Creek which is a tributary of the
Middle Fork Kings River.
Gallery
File:Sierra Dawn.jpg, Palisade Crest (left), Mount Jepson (middle), Mount Sill (right) at dawn.
File:Mount Jepson and Mount Sill.jpg, The view from Big Pine. Mount Jepson and Mount Sill centered in the distance with snow lingering below the summits.
File:Mts. Jepson and Sill.jpg, Mts. Jepson and Sill centered in the distance. From Owens Valley with camera pointed west-southwest.
File:Mount Sill, right.jpg, Mount Jepson centered, and Mt. Sill (right)
File:Willis Linn Jepson00.jpg, Willis Linn Jepson in 1911
See also
*
*
Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness
*
Thirteener
In mountaineering in the United States, a thirteener (abbreviated 13er) is a mountain that exceeds above mean sea level, similar to the more familiar "fourteeners," which exceed . In most instances, "thirteeners" refers only to those peaks betwe ...
References
External links
* Weather forecast
Mount Jepson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jepson, Mount
Mountains of Fresno County, California
Mountains of Inyo County, California
Mountains of Kings Canyon National Park
Four-thousanders of the United States
Mountains of Northern California
Sierra Nevada (United States)
Mountains of the John Muir Wilderness
Inyo National Forest