Mount Foraker
Mount Foraker is a 17,400-foot (5,304 m) mountain in the central Alaska Range, in Denali National Park, 14 mi (23 km) southwest of Mount McKinley. It is the second highest peak in the Alaska Range, and the fourth highest peak[1] in the United States. It rises almost directly above the standard base camp for Mount McKinley, on a fork of the Kahiltna Glacier also near Mount Hunter in the Alaska Range.
Its north peak was first climbed on August 6, 1934, and its higher south peak was climbed four days later on August 10, by Charles Houston, T. Graham Brown, and Chychele Waterston, via the west ridge.[2][3]
Naming
Mount Foraker was named in 1899 by Lt. J. S. Herron after Joseph B. Foraker, a U.S. Senator from Ohio.
The mountain, along with Mount McKinley, was called Bolshaya Gora ("big mountain") in Russian. The Tanaina Indians of the Susitna River valley and Tanana Indians to the north are reported to have had the same name (Denali) for Mt. Foraker as they had for Mount McKinley, and it appears that the names were not applied to individual peaks but instead to the Mount McKinley massif. The Tanana Indians in the Lake Minchumina area, however, had a broadside view of the mountains and thus gave dinstinctive names to each. According to Rev. Hudson Stuck, these Indians had two names for Mount Foraker: Sultana meaning "the woman" and Menlale meaning "Denali's wife", Denali being Mount McKinley.[3]
Notable ascents
- 1934 West Ridge FA of Mount Foraker by Charles Houston, T. Graham Brown and Chychele Waterston.[4]
- 1968 Talkeetna Ridge, South Ridge FA by Alex Bertulis, Warren Bleser, Hans Baer and Peter Williamson (USA). The summit was reached on July 26, 1968. 4th ascent of peak.[5]
- 1974 Southwest Toe of Southeast Ridge, variation to the South Ridge, ascent by Peter Reagan, Joe Davidson, Bob Fries, Jim Given, Mark Greenfield, Pippo Lionni, Eric Morgan and Frank Uher.[6]
- 1975 Archangel Ridge, the north ridge, FA by Gerard and Barbara Roach (first ascent by a woman), Brad Johnson, David Wright, Stewart Krebs and Charles Campbell. Summit reached on July 14, 1975.[7]
- 1976 French Ridge, the South/Southeast Ridge, FA by Henri Agresti, Jean-Marie Galmiche, Gerard Creton, Herve Thivierge, Isabelle Agresti (all France) and Werner Landry (USA). Summit reached on June 3rd and 4th, 1976.[8]
- 1977 Infinite Spur, on the south face by Michael Kennedy and George Lowe.[9]
- 1989 Infinite Spur, second ascent or route by Mark Bebie and Jim Nelson (USA). Summit reached on June 24th, 1989 after 13 days on the mountain.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Mount Foraker". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=284. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
- ^ a b "Mount Foraker". Bivouac.com. http://www.bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp?MtnId=7666. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
- ^ a b c "Mount Foraker". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1402265. Retrieved 2004-10-07.
- ^ Roach, Gerard (1976). "The Archangel - Foraker's North Ridge". American Alpine Journal 1976 (New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club) 20 (50): 277. ISBN 978-0-930410-73-5.
- ^ Bleser, Warren; Alex Bertulis (1969). "Mount Foraker's South Ridge". American Alpine Journal 1969 (Philadelphia, PA, USA: American Alpine Club) 16 (43): 289–294.
- ^ Reagan, Peter (1975). "Mount Foraker, Southeast Ridge". American Alpine Journal 1975 (New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club) 20 (49): 116.
- ^ Roach, Gerard (1976). "The Archangel - Foraker's North Ridge". American Alpine Journal 1976 (New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club) 20 (50): 277–284. ISBN 978-0-930410-73-5.
- ^ Agresti, Henri (1977). "Mount Foraker, South-Southeast Ridge". American Alpine Journal 1977 (New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club) 21 (51): 149–152.
- ^ Selters, Andy (2004). Ways to the Sky. Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club Press. pp. 263. ISBN 0-930410-83-1.
- ^ Bebie, Mark (1990). "Foraker's Infinite Spur". American Alpine Journal 1990 (New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club) 32 (64): 28–35. ISBN 0930410432.
Notes
- ^ This ranking includes Mount McKinley North Peak as number 2.
External links