Mount Tyndall

For the mountain in Tasmania, Australia, see Mount Tyndall (Tasmania).

Mount Tyndall
East aspect
Highest point
Elevation	14,025 ft (4,275 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	1,092 ft (333 m)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Williamson[2]
Listing	California fourteeners 10th[3] Sierra Peaks Section[4] John Muir Wilderness Area Western States Climbers Star peak[5]
Coordinates	36°39′21″N 118°20′14″W[6]
Geography
Mount Tyndall Show map of California Mount Tyndall Show map of the United States
Location	Sequoia National Park John Muir Wilderness Area Inyo / Tulare counties, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Mount Williamson
Climbing
First ascent	July 6, 1864 by Clarence King and Richard Cotter[7]
Easiest route	Scramble, class 2[7]

Mount Tyndall is a peak in the Mount Whitney region of the Sierra Nevada in the U.S. state of California. At 14,025 feet (4,275 m), it is the tenth highest peak in the state. The mountain was named in honor of the Irish scientist and mountaineer, John Tyndall.^[8]

Geography

Tyndall lies on the Sierra Crest, which in this region forms the boundary between the John Muir Wilderness and the Inyo National Forest on the east, and Sequoia National Park on the west; and the boundary between Inyo and Tulare counties. Mount Tyndall is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the higher Mount Williamson, and about 6 miles (9.7 km) north-northeast of Mount Whitney.

History

Mount Tyndall was first climbed on July 6, 1864, by Clarence King and Richard Cotter who were members of the California Geological Survey and under the overall direction of Josiah Whitney and the field leadership of William Brewer. King and Cotter were attempting to make the first ascent of Mount Whitney, and had made a long trek from Kings Canyon, only to realize months later that they had climbed the wrong peak.^[7]

Climbing routes

The easiest route on Mount Tyndall in terms of access and climbing is the Northwest Ridge, which involves an easy scramble (class 2). It begins about one half mile (0.8 km.) west of Shepherd Pass and about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the peak. Other non-technical routes exist on the gently sloped west side of the peak. At least two significant technical routes lie on the much steeper east face; the first of these routes was climbed by noted mountaineer Fred Beckey and Charlie Raymond in 1970.^[7]

See also

• List of California fourteeners

References

1. "Mount Tyndall, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
2. "Key Col for Mount Tyndall". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
3. "California 14,000-foot Peaks". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
4. "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
5. "Western States Climbers Qualifying Peak List". Climber.org. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
6. "Mount Tyndall". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
7. Roper, Steve (1976). The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. pp. 299, 366. ISBN 978-0871561473.
8. Brewer, William H. (1873). "Discovery of Mount Tyndall". The Popular Science Monthly. 2: 739–741.

External links

• "Mount Tyndall". SummitPost.org.
• King, Clarence (1871). Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada (1905 ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 0-585-27432-0. In Chapter 3 of the free online version of this book, King gives an account of the first ascent of Mount Tyndall.