Mount Arrowsmith

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For other mountains with this name, see Mount Arrowsmith (disambiguation).

Mount Arrowsmith
View from Qualicum Beach, August 2006
Elevation	1819 metres
Location	Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Range	Beafort Range
Prominence	1429 m
Coordinates	49°13.4′N 124°35.7′W
Topo map	NTS 92F/02
First ascent	John Macoun 1887
Easiest route	scramble

Mount Arrowsmith is the largest mountain on southern Vancouver Island. It has some of the most accessible alpine and sub-alpine areas for Victoria and other large towns on the Island. These zones contain several rare and endangered species of plants and animals, the most notable of which is the Vancouver Island Marmot, which has the dubious distinction of being Canada's rarest mammal. Although the mountain is contained within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve it is not part of a park. Efforts are currently underway to confer official park status on the alpine areas of the Arrowsmith massif and surrounding areas.

[edit] History

The first recorded ascent was made by botanist John Macoun in 1887. Macoun was a botanist to the Geological Survey of Canada. Mount Waddington was first seen from the peak of Mount Arrowsmith by Don and Phyllis Munday in 1925 (see also Mount Munday). The mountain was named for cartographers, Aaron Arrowsmith and his nephew John Arrowsmith. The mountain was known as "Kulth-ka-choolth", meaning "jagged face", in the Coast Salish language.