Mount Elbert

Coordinates: 39°07′03.9″N 106°26′43.2″W / 39.117750°N 106.445333°W / 39.117750; -106.445333 (Mount Elbert)
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Mount Elbert
U.S. state high points 3rd
  • Colorado highest major peaks 1st
  • Colorado fourteeners 1st
  • Colorado county high points 1st
    • Coordinates39°07′03.9″N 106°26′43.2″W / 39.117750°N 106.445333°W / 39.117750; -106.445333 (Mount Elbert)[1]
    Naming
    EtymologySamuel Hitt Elbert
    Geography
    Mount Elbert is located in Colorado
    Mount Elbert
    Mount Elbert
    Location
    class 1[4]

    Mount Elbert is the

    bearing 223°) of the city of Leadville in Lake County, Colorado.[1][2][3][a]

    The mountain was named in honor of a Colorado statesman,

    Class 1 to 2 or A+ in mountaineering
    parlance. Mount Elbert is therefore often referred to as the "gentle giant" that tops all others in the Rocky Mountains.

    Geography

    Mount Elbert is visible to the southwest of Leadville, often snow-capped even in the summer.

    fourteenth-highest mountain
    in the United States.

    Climate

    Weather conditions often change rapidly, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summertime;

    electrical storm on the mountain's summit was considered remarkable enough to be reported in the July 1894 issue of Science.[8]

    Climate data for Mount Elbert 39.1170 N, 106.4402 W, Elevation: 14,019 ft (4,273 m) (1991–2020 normals)
    Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
    Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 19.5
    (−6.9)     		18.7
    (−7.4)     		23.7
    (−4.6)     		29.3
    (−1.5)     		38.1
    (3.4)     		49.7
    (9.8)     		55.9
    (13.3)     		53.9
    (12.2)     		47.4
    (8.6)     		36.6
    (2.6)     		25.8
    (−3.4)     		19.7
    (−6.8)     		34.9
    (1.6)
    Daily mean °F (°C) 7.9
    (−13.4)     		6.7
    (−14.1)     		11.3
    (−11.5)     		16.2
    (−8.8)     		24.9
    (−3.9)     		35.5
    (1.9)     		41.7
    (5.4)     		40.2
    (4.6)     		33.9
    (1.1)     		24.1
    (−4.4)     		14.8
    (−9.6)     		8.5
    (−13.1)     		22.1
    (−5.5)
    Mean daily minimum °F (°C) −3.6
    (−19.8)     		−5.2
    (−20.7)     		−1.2
    (−18.4)     		3.1
    (−16.1)     		11.8
    (−11.2)     		21.3
    (−5.9)     		27.5
    (−2.5)     		26.6
    (−3.0)     		20.4
    (−6.4)     		11.7
    (−11.3)     		3.8
    (−15.7)     		−2.7
    (−19.3)     		9.5
    (−12.5)
    Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.26
    (108)     		4.07
    (103)     		4.39
    (112)     		5.39
    (137)     		3.89
    (99)     		1.65
    (42)     		2.18
    (55)     		2.42
    (61)     		2.65
    (67)     		3.29
    (84)     		4.08
    (104)     		3.78
    (96)     		42.05
    (1,068)
    Source: PRISM Climate Group[9]

    Geology

    Panoramic view of Mount Elbert in June

    Mount Elbert is part of the

    end moraines,[11] and Turquoise Lake was created by the manmade Sugar Loaf Dam
    .

    Mount Elbert is composed largely of

    Pre-Cambrian in origin and about 1.7 billion years old.[11] There are various igneous intrusions including pegmatite, as well as bands of gneiss and schist.[11] Unlike mountains of similar altitude elsewhere, Elbert lacks both a permanent snowpack and a prominent north-facing cirque, which can be attributed to its position among other mountains of similar height, causing it to receive relatively small quantities of precipitation.[12]

    History

    Mount Elbert was named after Samuel Hitt Elbert

    Mount Elbert was named by miners in honor of

    Hayden Survey.[14]

    Originally measured as 14,433 feet (4,399 m) in height, Mount Elbert's elevation was later adjusted to 14,440 feet (4,400 m) following a re-evaluation of mapped elevations, which sparked protests. The actual change was made in 1988 as a result of the North American Vertical Datum of 1988; it seems the original measurement resulted from the Sea Level Datum of 1929.[6][15][14] A matter of some contention arose after the Great Depression over the heights of Elbert and its neighbor Mount Massive, which differ in elevation by only 12 feet (3.7 m). This led to an ongoing dispute that came to a head with the Mount Massive supporters building large piles of stones on the summit to boost its height, only to have the Mount Elbert proponents demolish them.[16] The effort was ultimately unsuccessful and Mount Elbert has remained the highest peak in Colorado.[6] The first motorized ascent of Elbert occurred in 1949, when a Jeep was driven to the summit, apparently to judge suitability for skiing development.[16]

    Flora and fauna

    Platanthera hyperborea

    The summit of Mount Elbert is an

    lodgepole pine, spruce, aspen, and fir.[18]

    Some of the fauna reported on the climb to the summit include

    birds.[19] Elk, grouse, turkey, and bighorn sheep are present in the area during the summer.[18] Grizzly bears are extirpated.[20]

    Climbing

    The north-east ridge

    There are three main routes to ascend the mountain, all of which gain over 4,100 feet (1,200 m) elevation. The standard route ascends the peak from the east, starting from the Colorado Trail just north of Twin Lakes. The 4.6 miles (7.4 km) long North (Main) Elbert Trail begins close to the Elbert Creek Campground, and gains about 4,500 feet (1,400 m).[21][22] The trail is open to equestrians, mountain bikers and hunters during season.[23] An easier, but longer route, the South Elbert Trail, is 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long, climbing 4,600 feet (1,400 m) at a less-punishing gradient than the North Elbert Trail, approaching from the south and then climbing the eastern ridge.[21]

    The most difficult of the main routes is the Black Cloud Trail, a

    Class 2 climb that takes ten to fourteen hours depending on pace, gains 5,300 feet (1,600 m) in elevation, and also involves an ascent of the sub-peak, South Elbert, at 14,134 feet (4,308 m).[24] Even healthy and experienced climbers report great difficulty on this route, and despite the fact that there is a trail, the route is extremely steep, unstable, and rocky in places. The elevation gain is not evenly distributed over the 5.5-mile ascent. There are also routes approaching from the western face, and southwestern ridge, from South Halfmoon Creek Trailhead and Echo Canyon Trailhead respectively.[24]

    Although strenuous and requiring physical fitness, none of the conventional routes require specialist mountaineering skills or technical

    cerebral edema, which can lead to difficulties with breathing, paralysis, and death. Climbers are advised to begin their ascent at or before 6 A.M. and to summit and descend before early afternoon to minimize exposure to possible afternoon thunderstorms while at high altitudes. Although the most conventional form of ascent is by hiking, Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, the orator, ascended the mountain on a mule borrowed from the U.S. government.[25]

    See also

    Notes

    1. NGVD 29 to NAVD 88
      .

    References

    1. ^ a b c "MOUNT ELBERT". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
    2. ^ a b c d e "Mount Elbert, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
    3. ^ a b "Mount Elbert". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
    4. ^ "Mt. Elbert Routes". 14ers.com.
    5. ISBN 978-1-4000-0415-7
      .
    6. ^ a b c "Mount Elbert". Summitpost Organization. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
    7. ^ Helman 2005.
    8. ^ Vetter 2011, p. 111.
    9. ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
    10. ^ Hopkins & Hopkins 2000, p. 107.
    11. ^ a b c d Hopkins & Hopkins 2000, p. 110.
    12. ^ a b Kelsey 2001, p. 956.
    13. ^ "Samuel Hitt Elbert". Colorado Governor's Index. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
    14. ^ a b c Enright 2009, p. 12.
    15. ^ "No tall tale: State higher than thought". Denverpost. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
    16. ^ a b Dziezynski 2012, p. 153.
    17. ^ Porter & Coulter 1874, pp. 2, 4, 64, 83, 111, 116, 128, 132–.
    18. ^ a b Holmes 1990.
    19. ^ Holmes 1990, p. 189.
    20. ^ Schwartz, C. C.; Miller, S. D.; Haroldson, M. A. (2003). "Grizzly bear" (PDF). In Feldhamer, G. A.; Thompson, B. C.; Chapman, J. A. (eds.). Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 556–586. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2014.
    21. ^ a b "Mount Elbert Trails (Fourteener)". US Dept. Agriculture. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
    22. ^ Dziezynski 2012, p. 151.
    23. ^ Gaug 2011, p. 124.
    24. ^ a b Roach 1999, pp. 93–8.
    25. ^ Gallman 2006, p. 129.

    Bibliography

    External links
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mount_Elbert&oldid=1217797219"