Mount Tyndall is a peak in the
Mount Whitney region 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 ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
. At , it is the tenth highest peak in the state. The mountain was named in honor of the Irish scientist and mountaineer,
John Tyndall
John Tyndall (; 2 August 1820 – 4 December 1893) was an Irish physicist. His scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he made discoveries in the realms of infrared radiation and the physical properties of air ...
.
Geography
Tyndall lies on the
Sierra Crest
The Sierra Crest is a roughly generally north-to-south ridge, ridgeline that demarcates the broad west and narrow east slopes of the Sierra Nevada and that extends as far east as the Sierra's escarpment, topographic front (e.g., Diamond Mountain ...
, which in this region forms the boundary between the
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 ...
and the
Inyo National Forest on the east, and
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...
on the west; and the boundary between
Inyo and
Tulare counties. Mount Tyndall is west of the higher
Mount Williamson, and about north-northeast of Mount Whitney.
History
Mount Tyndall was first climbed on July 6, 1864, by
Clarence King
Clarence Rivers King (January 6, 1842 – December 24, 1901) was an American geologist, mountaineer, and author. He was the first director of the United States Geological Survey from 1879 to 1881. Nominated by Republican President Rutherford B. ...
and
Richard Cotter who were members of the
California Geological Survey
The California Geological Survey, previously known as the California Division of Mines and Geology, is the California state geology, geologic agency.
History
Although it was not until 1880 that the California State Mining Bureau, predecessor to ...
and under the overall direction of
Josiah Whitney
Josiah Dwight Whitney (November 23, 1819 – August 18, 1896) was an American geologist, professor of geology at Harvard University (from 1865), and chief of the California Geological Survey (1860–1874). Through his travels and studies in the ...
and the field leadership of
William Brewer. King and Cotter were attempting to make the first ascent of Mount Whitney, and had made a long trek from
Kings Canyon, only to realize months later that they had climbed the wrong peak.
Climbing routes
The easiest route on Mount Tyndall in terms of access and climbing is the Northwest Ridge, which involves an easy
scramble (). It begins about one half mile (0.8 km.) west of Shepherd Pass and about north of the peak. Other non-technical routes exist on the gently sloped west side of the peak. At least two significant technical routes lie on the much steeper east face; the first of these routes was climbed by noted mountaineer
Fred Beckey and Charlie Raymond in 1970.
See also
*
List of California fourteeners
References
External links
*
* In Chapter 3 of the free online version of this book, King gives an account of the first ascent of Mount Tyndall.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyndall, Mount
Fourteeners of California
Mountains of Sequoia National Park
Mountains of the John Muir Wilderness
Mountains of Inyo County, California
Mountains of Tulare County, California