Spearmint Spire 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 ...

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 ...

, United States.

Description

Spearmint Spire, also known simply as Spearmint, is located north of

Palmer, Alaska Palmer is a city in and the county seat, borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States, located northeast of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Matanuska Valley. It is the List of cities in A ...

, in the

Talkeetna Mountains The Talkeetna Mountains (''Dghelaay tahwt’aene'' in Ahtna) () are a mountain range in Alaska. The Matanuska and Susitna River valleys, with towns such as Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Palmer, Sutton, and Chickaloon, roughly bound th ...

and in the Hatcher Pass Management Area of the state park system.''Scree, The Hunt for the Seth Holden Hut''
Jonathan Rupp, Mountaineering Club of Alaska, February 2019, p. 17. Precipitation runoff from this mountain's west slope drains into headwaters of the Little Susitna River, whereas the east side drains into headwaters of Moose Creek which is a tributary of the

Matanuska River The Matanuska River ( Dena'ina: ''Ch'atanhtnu''; Ahtna: ''Ts'itonhna’'') is a 75-mile (121 km) long river in Southcentral Alaska, United States. The river drains a broad valley south of the Alaska Range eponymously known as the Matanusk ...

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 Moose Creek in . The approach to the peak is via the eight-mile Gold Mint Trail which reaches the Mint Glacier Hut. The peak was named Spearmint Spire in 1968 by Curt and Gretchen Wagner who compared the granite tower to those in

The Bugaboos The Bugaboos are a mountain range in the Purcell Mountains of eastern British Columbia, Canada. The granite spires of the group are a popular mountaineering destination. The Bugaboos are protected within Bugaboo Provincial Park. Geography The ...

.''Scree''
Cutis A. Wagner, Mountaineering Club of Alaska, December 1968, p. 5. Other whimsically named peaks near the Mint Glacier include Troublemint Peak,

Triplemint Peak Triplemint Peak is a summit in Alaska, United States. Description Triplemint Peak is located north of Palmer, Alaska, in the Talkeetna Mountains and in the Hatcher Pass Management Area of the state park system. Precipitation runoff from this m ...

Doublemint Peak Doublemint Peak is a summit in Alaska, United States. Description Doublemint Peak, also known as Doublemint Spires or simply Doublemint, is located north of Palmer, Alaska, in the Talkeetna Mountains and in the Hatcher Pass Management Area of ...

, and Telemint Spire. This mountain's toponym has not been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.

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 ...

, Spearmint 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 short cool summers. Winter temperatures can drop below 0 °F with wind chill factors below −10 °F. This climate supports the Mint Glacier on the west slope as well as a small unnamed glacier on the north slope. The months of May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing or viewing.''Denali FAQ'', American Alpine Institute
alpineinstitute.com, Retrieved 2024-01-08.

Gallery

File:Packrafting in a Kokopelli packraft, on Moonstone Lake in the Talkeetna Mountains of Alaska.jpg, Spearmint (left) and Troublemint (right) from Moonstone Lake File:Moonstone Lake, in the Talkeetna Mountains of Alaska.jpg, Spearmint reflected in Moonstone Lake

References

External links

* Hatcher Pass Management Area
dnr.alaska.gov
{{Portal bar, Mountains, Geography, Geology, Alaska Two-thousanders of the United States Mountains of Alaska Mountains of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

Description

Climate

See also

Gallery

References

External links