Mount Morrison (California)

Mount Morrison
Mount Morrison (behind Mono Jim Peak) from the shore of Convict Lake
Elevation	12,241 ft (3,731 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	591 ft (180 m) [2]
Parent peak	Mount Baldwin [3]
Listing	SPS Mountaineer's peak [4]
Location
Location	Mono County, California. US
Range	Sierra Nevada
Coordinates	37°33′41″N 118°51′30″W / 37.5613238°N 118.8584611°W / 37.5613238; -118.8584611Coordinates: 37°33′41″N 118°51′30″W / 37.5613238°N 118.8584611°W / 37.5613238; -118.8584611[1]
Topo map	USGS Convict Lake
Geology
Type	Metamorphic rock
Age of rock	Paleozoic
Climbing
First ascent	1928 by Norman Clyde or John Mendendhall [5]
Easiest route	Scramble,, class 2 [5]

Mount Morrison is located in the Sierra Nevada, in the Sherwin Range. It rises south of Convict Lake near the town of Mammoth Lakes.

History

The mountain was named for Robert Morrison, a merchant in the town of Benton, who was killed near Convict Lake on September 23, 1871 while was acting as member of a posse pursuing escaped convicts from the Nevada State Penitentiary.^[6] Nearby is Mono Jim Peak which is named for Mono Jim, a Paiute guide, who died in the same gun fight.^[7]

Climbing

Sources state that Norman Clyde climbed to the peak on June 22, 1928 and that John Mendendhall also reached the summit in 1928 but the month of his ascent is not documented.^[5]

There are several routes to the summit, the easiest consisting of a Class 2 scramble and bushwack. The face consists of extremely loose rock and one should exercise extreme caution when attempting the face.

Due to its imposing east face, Mount Morrison is also nicknamed the "Eiger of the Sierra."

Geology

Fulgurites, natural hollow glass tubes, are found at the top of the mountain. These oddities are formed by lightning acting on certain types of sand or soil.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mount Morrison". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:263848. Retrieved 2009-08-13. 
2. ^ "Mount Morrison, California". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2649. 
3. ^ "Mount Gabb - California Mountain Atlas". Peaklist.org. http://www.PeakList.org/CAmtnatlas/tables/whitney/gabb.html. Retrieved 2009-01-21. 
4. ^ "Sierra Peaks Section List". Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. http://angeles.sierraclub.org/sps/spslist.pdf. Retrieved 2009-01-21. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Roper, Steve (1976). The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. p. 339. ISBN 0-87156-147-6. 
6. ^ Farquhar, Francis P. (1926). Place Names of the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club. http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/m.html. Retrieved 2009-08-13. 
7. ^ "Mono Jim Peak". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:274657. Retrieved 2009-08-13. 

External links

• "Mount Morrison". SummitPost.org. http://www.summitpost.org/page/150531.