Mount Whitecap Explained

Mount Whitecap
Elevation Ft:13025
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:580
Location:Sublette County, Wyoming, U.S.
Range:Wind River Range
Map:Wyoming#USA
Relief:1
Coordinates:43.1686°N -109.6922°W
Coordinates Ref:[2]
Topo:USGS Gannett Peak
First Ascent:1930 (Kenneth Henderson and Robert Underhill)

Mount Whitecap (13025feet) is located in the northern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming.[3] Situated 2.25miles southwest of Gannett Peak, Mount Whitecap is in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest. Baby Glacier lies just to the east of the peak and Split Mountain is 1miles southeast.[3] Mount Whitecap is the 30th tallest peak in Wyoming.[4]

Hazards

See main article: Hazards of outdoor recreation. Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.[5] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.[6]

Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,[7] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),[8] 2015[9] and 2018.[10] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain[11] in 2005,[12] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.[13] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.

Notes and References

  1. 5360. Mount Whitecap, Wyoming. November 23, 2013.
  2. 1604150. Mount Whitecap. November 23, 2013.
  3. TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Gannett Peak, WY. November 23, 2013.
  4. 21344. Wyoming 13,000-foot Peaks. November 23, 2013.
  5. News: Staff . Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country . April 24, 2017 . . live . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726133155/https://windriver.org/bear-safety-in-wyomings-wind-river-country/ . May 31, 2022 .
  6. News: Ballou . Dawn . Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide . July 27, 2005 . PineDaleOnline News . live . April 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210421050551/http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2005/07/WindRiverRangecondit.htm . May 31, 2022 .
  7. News: Staff . Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake . 1993 . . live . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726124452/http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13199308300/Falling-Rock-Loose-Rock-Failure-to-Test-Holds-Wyoming-Wind-River-Range-Seneca-Lake . May 31, 2022 .
  8. News: MacDonald . Dougald . Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader . August 14, 2007 . . live . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726131458/https://www.climbing.com/news/trundled-rock-kills-nols-leader/ . May 31, 2022 .
  9. News: Staff . Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental . December 9, 2015 . . dead . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726124448/https://trib.com/outdoors/officials-rule-wind-river-range-climbing-deaths-accidental/article_eca43632-2f91-519f-bb81-0c59ed52e07e.html . May 31, 2022 .
  10. News: Dayton . Kelsey . Deadly underestimation . August 24, 2018 . WyoFile News . live . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726124437/https://www.wyofile.com/deadly-underestimation/ . May 31, 2022 .
  11. Web site: Funk . Jason . Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing . 2009 . . live . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726095630/https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106521163/squaretop-mountain . May 31, 2022 .
  12. News: Staff . Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain . July 22, 2005 . PineDaleOnline News . live . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726131552/http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2005/07/Injuredmanrescuedfro.htm . May 31, 2022 .
  13. News: Staff . Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search . September 1, 2006 . WildernessDoc.com . dead . January 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200127232916/http://www.1.wildernessdoc.com/Report.aspx?IN=13 . May 31, 2022 .

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