Mount Williamson
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox mountain
Mount Williamson, at an elevation of Script error: No such module "convert"., is the second-highest mountain in both the Sierra Nevada range and the state of California, and the sixth-highest peak in the contiguous United States.
Geography
Williamson stands in the John Muir Wilderness of the Inyo National Forest. It is located approximately Script error: No such module "convert". north of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., and about Script error: No such module "convert". southwest of Shepherd Pass, the nearest trail access. The closest town is Independence, California, about Script error: No such module "convert". to the north-north-east. It lies about Script error: No such module "convert". east of the Sierra Crest, which forms the western edge of the Owens Valley. It is more remote than Whitney in terms of access; however, as it sits east of the crest, it is actually a bit closer to the Owens Valley floor than Whitney. For example, the drop from the summit to the forest edge is Script error: No such module "convert". in approximately Script error: No such module "convert".. This makes it an imposing mountain, and a much less popular climb than its higher neighbor.
Climate
Script error: No such module "weather box".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
History
The mountain is named for Lt. Robert Stockton Williamson (1825–1882), who conducted one of the Pacific Railroad Surveys in Southern California.[1]
The first recorded ascent of Mount Williamson was made in 1884 by W. L. Hunter and C. Mulholland, by way of the Southeast Slopes Route,[2] although the mountain may have been climbed as early as 1881 by A.H. Johnson and Julius Schroeder.[3] The first ascent of the West Side Route was made in 1896 by Bolton C. Brown and Lucy Brown. New routes continued to be put up on the harder faces at least through the 1980s.[2]
Climbing
The standard ascent route is the West Side Route, accessed from Shepherd's Pass. From the pass, one travels across the Williamson Bowl, which lies between Mount Williamson and Mount Tyndall, part of the Sierra Crest. The bowl is home to five high alpine lakes. From the bowl, the route climbs gullies up the west face to the relatively broad summit plateau; this portion involves scrambling up to Template:YDS. Technically easier, but with a more difficult approach which can involve route finding and bushwhacking, is the Southeast Slopes Route, rising from George Creek. Other routes exist on the mountain, including a significant technical route on the North Rib (Grade IV, 5.7).[2]
Climbing Mount Williamson is made more difficult by the lengthy and strenuous approach. Elevation gain from the trailhead is over Script error: No such module "convert"., and the trail to Shepherd's Pass alone is Script error: No such module "convert"..
Mount Williamson is situated in the California Bighorn Sheep Zoological Area. These rare animals can often be seen on the lower slopes during the winter when heavy snows drive the sheep down from their summer grazing areas. From 1981 until 2010 the California Bighorn Sheep Zoological Area was closed to access for much of the year, but late in 2010, the Inyo National Forest Service declined to renew the closure, opening the area to access year-round.[4]
See also
Script error: No such module "Portal".
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Template:Sister-inline
- Template:Cite summitpost
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Template:NA highest Template:California highest Template:California Fourteeners Script error: No such module "navbox". Template:Sierra Nevada Template:John Muir Wilderness