Mount Suckling

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Mount Suckling
Elevation 3,676 m (12,060 ft)
Location Papua New Guinea
Range Goropu Mountains
Prominence 2,925 m (9,596 ft)[1] Ranked 105th
Coordinates 9°40′09″S, 149°00′39″E[1]

Mount Suckling, or Goropi,[2] is the highest peak of the Goropu Mountains, part of the Owen Stanley Range in southeastern Papua New Guinea. It lies about 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of Port Moresby. Situated on a relatively narrow peninsula, it lies only about 60 km (40 mi) from the sea to both the northeast (in the direction of Collingwood Bay) and the south.[3] While not the highest peak in the Owen Stanley Range (Mount Victoria is the highest), it is the most topographically prominent peak in the range, and it is in fact the third most prominent peak on the island of New Guinea.[1] The peak rises above the timberline, while its lower slopes are well-forested.[4]

The Maisin people inhabit the area around Mount Suckling.[2] As of 1972, Mount Suckling had been "very inadequately explored" by Westerners.[5] Norman Cruttwell initiated an expedition to the peak, which eventually reached the summit after several unsuccessful attempts. They found the peak "so inaccessible that [they] had to be dropped by helicopter into a gorge at 1500m and find [their] way to the top." They climbed via the south spur of the mountain, named "Goe Dendeniwa"; the second word means "red" and refers to the uniformly red color of the rocks and vegetation on the spur.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c PNG Ultra-prominent peaks on peaklist.org
  2. ^ a b John Barker article
  3. ^ National Geographic Atlas of the World (revised sixth edition), National Geographic Society, 1992, ISBN 0-87044-834-X.
  4. ^ Conservation International NewsletterPDF (292 KiB)
  5. ^ a b Norman E. G. Cruttwell (October 1988). Vireya Rhododendrons - Archive - Cruttwell, N - Plant Hunting in Papua New Guinea. Proceedings of the Fourth International Rhododendron Conference. Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
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