Mount Lucania

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Mount Lucania
Mount Lucania
Yukon, Canada
Elevation 5,240+ m (17,192+ ft)[1]
Prominence 3,040 m (9,974 ft)[1]
Ranked 86th
Listing List of Ultras in Canada
Location
Range Saint Elias Mountains
Coordinates 61°01′24″N 140°27′56″W / 61.0233333°N 140.4655556°W / 61.0233333; -140.4655556Coordinates: 61°01′24″N 140°27′56″W / 61.0233333°N 140.4655556°W / 61.0233333; -140.4655556[2]
Topo map NTS 115F/01
Climbing
First ascent 1937 by Bradford Washburn and Robert Hicks Bates
Easiest route Glacier, snow and ice climb

Mount Lucania is the third highest mountain located entirely in Canada. A long ridge connects Mt. Lucania with Mount Steele (5,073m), the fifth highest in Canada. Lucania was named by the Duke of Abruzzi, as he stood on the summit of Mount Saint Elias on July 31, 1897, having just completed the first ascent. Seeing Lucania in the far distance, beyond Mount Logan, he immediately name it "after the ship on which the expedition had sailed from Liverpool to New York," the RMS Lucania.[3]

The first ascent of Mount Lucania was made in 1937 by Bradford Washburn and Robert Hicks Bates. They used an airplane to reach Walsh Glacier, 2,670 m (8,760 ft) above sea level; the use of air support for mountaineering was novel at the time. Washburn called upon Bob Reeve, a famous Alaskan bush pilot, who later replied by cable to Washburn, "Anywhere you'll ride, I'll fly". The ski-equipped Fairchild F-51 made several trips to the landing site on the glacier without event in May, but on landing with Washburn and Bates in June, the plane sank into unseasonal slush. Washburn, Bates and Reeve pressed hard for five days to get the airplane out and Reeve was eventually able to get the airplane airborne with all excess weight removed and with the assistance of a smooth icefall with a steep drop. Washburn and Bates continued on foot to make the first ascent of Lucania, and in an epic descent and journey to civilization,[4] they hiked over 150 miles (240 km) through the wilderness to safety in the small town of Burwash Landing in the Yukon.[5]

The second ascent of Lucania was made in 1967 by a team led by Gerry Roach.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Mount Lucania". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  2. ↑ "Mount Lucania". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique.php?id=KADWU&output=xml. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2002). Escape from Lucania. Simon & Schuster. p. 57. ISBN 1-4165-6767-4. 
  4. ↑ Venables, Stephen (2006). Voices from the Mountains. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest. pp. 40–43. ISBN 0-7621-0810-X. 
  5. ↑ Medred, Craig (October 7, 2007). "Climber's exploits earned little recognition". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  6. ↑ "Mount Lucania". SummitPost.org. http://www.summitpost.org/page/152534. Retrieved 2011-05-09.

Literature

David Roberts, Escape from Lucania: An Epic Story of Survival (2002), Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-2432-9.

External links

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