Mount Witherspoon is a glaciated summit located northwest of Valdez in the

Chugach Mountains The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about long and wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnag ...

of 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 ...

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 ...

. It's set on land managed by

Chugach National Forest The Chugach National Forest is a United States National Forest in south central Alaska. Covering portions of Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula and the Copper River (Alaska), Copper River Delta, it was formed in 1907 from part of a larger ...

. This remote mountain, fifth-highest in the Chugach range, is situated northwest of

Mount Einstein Mount Einstein is an elevation glaciated summit located northwest of Valdez in the Chugach Mountains of the U.S. state of Alaska. This remote mountain, sixth-highest in the Chugach range, is situated at the head of Yale Glacier on land manag ...

, with the heads of

Yale Glacier Yale Glacier is a long glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It begins at the saddle between Mount Witherspoon and Mount Einstein, and trends southwest to Yale Arm of College Fjord, 47 miles (76 km) west of Valdez. It was named for Ya ...

and Columbia Glacier between the summits.Chugach Mountains, Peakbagger.com
/ref> It is the second-highest peak in the Dora Keen Range, which is the 25-miles-long divide separating Harvard Glacier from Yale Glacier. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1928 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to honor David C. Witherspoon, a

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 ...

topographer Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scienc ...

for 30 years, "who at the time of his retirement in 1921 had mapped a greater area of Alaska than any other man." 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 Mount Witherspoon was made June 25, 1957, by David Bohn, Arthur Maki Jr., Martin Mushkin, and Lawrence E. Nielsen.

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 Witherspoon 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. Weather systems coming off the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

are forced upwards by the Chugach Mountains (

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 rainfall and snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Glaciers surrounding this mountain. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing or viewing.

Gallery

File:Mount Einstein centered.jpg, Mount Witherspoon in upper left top of frame File:Mount Witherspoon.jpg, Mount Witherspoon centered at top of frame. (Yale Glacier featured, Mt. Einstein upper right)

References

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External links

* Weather
Mount Witherspoon

National Weather Service Forecast
* Mt. Witherspoo
photo
Witherspoon Witherspoon Witherspoon

Climate

Gallery

See also

References

External links