Birch Mountain (California)

Birch Mountain

Birch Mountain's east side from route 395, May 2009.
Elevation 13,608 ft (4,148 m) NAVD 88[1][2]
Prominence 938 ft (286 m) [2]
Parent peak North Palisade [3]
Listing Sierra Peaks Section [4]
Location
Birch Mountain
Location of Birch Mountain in California
Location Inyo County, California, USA
Range Sierra Nevada
Coordinates [5]
Topo map USGS Split Mountain
Climbing
First ascent 1887 by J.W. Bledsoe [6]
Easiest route Southwest ridge or south slope (scramble) [6]

Birch Mountain, or Paokrung (Northern Paiute for "Mountain of Stone"[5]), is one of the fifty highest peaks of California. Of the major peaks of the Palisades, it stands furthest from the Sierra Crest.

Judging by its few summit register entries, it is climbed far less than its nearby fourteener neighbors on the crest.[7] But its placement on the Sierra Peaks Section list[4] adds to its appeal to peak baggers, and its low technical demand makes it a rewarding ski mountaineering destination.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ The elevation of this summit has been converted from its National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) elevation of13,602 feet (4,146 m)to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) elevation of 13,608 feet (4,148 m). National Geodetic Survey
  2. ^ a b "Birch Mountain, California". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2735. Retrieved 2009-09-14. 
  3. ^ "North Palisade - California Mountain Atlas". Peaklist.org. http://www.PeakList.org/CAmtnatlas/tables/whitney/palisade.html. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  4. ^ a b "Sierra Peaks Section List". Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. http://angeles.sierraclub.org/sps/spslist.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  5. ^ a b "Birch Mountain". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:252132. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
  6. ^ a b Secor, R.J.. The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes and Trails (2nd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 0-89886-625-1. 
  7. ^ "Birch Mountain". SummitPost.org. http://www.summitpost.org/page/151322. 
  8. ^ "Birch Mountain's Southeast Face - SierraDescent.com Skiing". http://www.sierradescents.com/skiing/birch/2008/southeast-face.html. Retrieved 2008-09-14.