Mount Wickersham

Mount Wickersham
Mount Wickersham
	Mount Wickersham from Matanuska Glacier
Highest point
Elevation	7,415 ft (2,260 m)
Prominence	1,100 ft (340 m)
Parent peak	Frogfish Peak (8,530 ft)
Isolation	7.87 mi (12.67 km)
Coordinates	61°42′28″N 147°42′05″W / 61.70778°N 147.70139°W
Naming
Etymology	James Wickersham
Geography
	Mount Wickersham Location of Mount Wickersham in Alaska
Location	Matanuska-Susitna Borough; Alaska, United States
Parent range	Chugach Mountains
Topo map	USGS Anchorage C-2
Climbing
First ascent	1969
Easiest route	Scrambling

Mount Wickersham is a 7,415-foot (2,260 m) elevation mountain summit located 48 mi (77 km) east of Palmer, in the northern Chugach Mountains of the U.S. state of Alaska. This landmark of the Matanuska Valley is set midway between Anchorage and Glennallen, at mile 101 of the Glenn Highway. It is situated immediately west of Matanuska Glacier, and 10.5 mi (17 km) east of Amulet Peak. The mountain was named in 1960 by Senator Bob Bartlett and Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton, to remember James Wickersham (1857–1939), attorney, District Judge, and Territorial Delegate to Congress from Alaska.^[3] In June 1903, Wickersham was also leader of the (unsuccessful) first attempt to climb Denali (Mount McKinley at that time).^[4] His attempt was stymied by steep cliffs which also now bear his name, Wickersham Wall.^[5]

Climate[edit]

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Wickersham is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.^[6] Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Chugach Mountains (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing or viewing Mount Wickersham. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Matanuska River.