Mount Logan is the highest
mountain in Canada
and the
second-highest
peak in North America, after
Mount
McKinley
(Denali). The mountain was named after Sir
William Edmond Logan, a Canadian
geologist and founder of the
Geological Survey of Canada
(GSC).
Mount Logan is located within Kluane National
Park and Reserve
in southwestern Yukon
and is the
source of the Hubbard
and Logan Glaciers
. Logan is believed to have the largest base
circumference of any non-volcanic mountain on Earth (a large number
of shield volcanoes are much larger in size and mass), with the
massif containing eleven peaks over .
Due to active tectonic uplifting, Mount Logan is still rising in
elevation. Before 1992, the exact height of Mount Logan was unknown
and measurements ranged from to . In May 1992, a GSC expedition
climbed Mount Logan and fixed the current height of using
GPS.
Temperatures are extremely cold on and near Mount Logan. On the
high 5,000 m plateau, air temperature hovers around in the
winter and reaches near freezing in summer with the median
temperature for the year around . A temperature of −77.5 °C (−108
°F) was recorded in 1991, which may be the
coldest temperature ever recorded in the northern
hemisphere. This is quite controversial due to the high
elevation.Minimal snow melt leads to a significant ice cap,
reaching almost in certain spots.
Peaks of the massif
The Mount Logan
massif is considered to
contain all the surrounding peaks with less than of
prominence, as listed below:
| Peak |
Height |
Prominence |
coordinates |
| Main |
|
above
Mentasta
Pass |
|
| Philippe Peak (West) |
|
|
|
| Logan East Peak (Stuart Peak) |
|
|
|
| Houston's Peak |
|
|
|
| Prospector Peak |
|
|
|
| AINA Peak |
|
|
|
| Russell Peak |
|
|
|
| Tudor Peak (Logan North Peak) |
|
|
|
| Saxon Peak (Northeast) |
|
|
|
| Queen Peak |
|
|
|
| Capet Peak (Northwest) |
|
|
|
| Catenary Peak |
|
|
|
| Teddy Peak |
|
|
|
First ascent
Mount Logan from the NE, as seen from
Kluane Icefield
In 1922, a geologist approached the
Alpine Club of Canada with the
suggestion that the club send a team to the mountain to reach the
summit for the first time. An international team of Canadian,
British and American climbers was assembled and initially they had
planned their attempt in 1924 but funding and preparation delays
postponed the trip until 1925. The international team of climbers
began their journey in early May, crossing the mainland from the
Pacific coast by train. They then walked the remaining to within of
the Logan Glacier where they established base camp. In the early
evening of June 23, 1925, Albert H. MacCarthy (leader), H.F.
Lambart,
Allen Carpé,
W.W. Foster, N. Read and Andy Taylor
stood on top for the first time. It had taken them 65 days to
approach the mountain from the nearest town, McCarthy, summit and
return, with all climbers intact - a prodigious effort!
Subsequent notable ascents
- 1957 East Ridge. Don Monk, Gil Roberts and 3 others
(USA) reached the summit on July 19.
- 1965 Hummingbird Ridge (South Ridge). Dick Long, Allen Steck,
Jim Wilson, John Evans, Frank Coale and Paul Bacon (USA) over 30
days, mid-July to Mid-August. Fred
Beckey remarked: "When they got back we just couldn't believe
that they had climbed that thing. We didn't think they had a
chance". Featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of
North America.
- 1979 Northwest Ridge. Michael Down (CA), Paul Kindree,
John Howe, Reid Carter and John Wittmayer climbed to the summit
over 22 days, topping out on June 19th.
- 1979 South-Southwest Ridge. Raymond Jotterand (CA),
Alan Burgess, Jim Elzinga and John Laughlan reached the summit
after 15 days of climbing on June 30th and July 1st.
Proposed renaming
Following the death of former
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien, a close friend of
Trudeau's, considered renaming the mountain Mount Trudeau;
however, opposition from Yukoners, mountaineers, geologists,
Trudeau's political critics, and many other Canadians forced the
plan to be dropped.
A mountain in British Columbia
's Premier
Range
was named Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau
instead.
May 2005 rescue
During the last few days of May 2005, three climbers from the North
Shore Search and Rescue team of North Vancouver became stranded on
the mountain.
A joint operation by Canadian and American
forces rescued the three climbers and took them to Anchorage,
Alaska
for treatment of frostbite. There were also climbers on the
mountain that were part of the same team who had to abandon their
summit bid in order to help rescue their teammates. The main rescue
team in the area was, ironically, the team that needed
rescuing.
See also
Bibliography
- Irving, R. L. G., Ten Great Mountains
(London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1940)
References
External links
Wikis
Quiz
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