Mount Huxley (Alaska) Explained

Mount Huxley
Elevation Ft:12216
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:2016
Isolation Mi:2.56
Isolation Ref:[2]
Range:Saint Elias Mountains
Parent Peak:Mount Saint Elias
Location:Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Yakutat Borough
Alaska, United States
Map:USA Alaska
Label Position:left
Coordinates:60.3279°N -141.1554°W
Topo:USGS Bering Glacier B-1
First Ascent:June 9, 1996 by Paul Claus[3]
Easiest Route:Mountaineering expedition

Mount Huxley is a 12,216-foot (3,723 meter) glaciated mountain summit located in the Saint Elias Mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The remote peak is situated 750NaN0 northwest of Yakutat, and 8.70NaN0 west-northwest of Mount Saint Elias. The peak rises above the Columbus Glacier and Bagley Icefield to its north, the Tyndall Glacier to the south, and the Yahtse Glacier to the west. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into the Gulf of Alaska. The mountain was named in 1886 by English mountaineer Harold Ward Topham for Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), an English biologist.[4] The mountain was officially named Huxley Peak in 1917, but the name was officially changed to Mount Huxley in 1968 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The first ascent of the peak was made June 9, 1996 by Paul Claus who landed his plane at 11,500 feet elevation on the western flank (700 vertical feet below the summit) and climbed the remaining distance to the summit.[5] The second ascent of Mt. Huxley, and first complete ascent from base to summit, was made in June 2018 by Scott Peters, Andrew Peter, and Ben Iwrey starting from the Columbus Glacier.[6]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Huxley is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.[7] Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Saint Elias Mountains (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for viewing and climbing this mountain.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. 14678. Mount Huxley, Alaska. 2020-02-19.
  2. https://listsofjohn.com/peak/32854 Huxley, Mount AK, listsofjohn.com
  3. 27608. Mount Huxley. 2020-02-20.
  4. 1403652. Mount Huxley. 2020-02-20.
  5. Web site: AAC Publications - North America, United States, Alaska, Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
  6. Web site: AAC Publications - Mt. Huxley, Northeast Ridge to Northwest Ridge (Super-Hux).
  7. Peel, M. C. . Finlayson, B. L. . McMahon, T. A. . 2007 . Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification . Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. . 11 . 5 . 1633 . 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . 2007HESS...11.1633P . 1027-5606. free .