Michael Peak is a mountain summit located in

Yoho National Park Yoho National Park ( ) is a national park of Canada. It is located within the Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide of the Americas in southeastern British Columbia, bordered by Kootenay National Park to the south and ...

, in the Canadian Rockies of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Its nearest higher peak is The President, to the west-northwest. Both are part of the

President Range The President Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies, located in the northwestern section of Yoho National Park Yoho National Park ( ) is a national park of Canada. It is located within the Rocky Mountains along the western slope of ...

which is a subset of the

Waputik Mountains The Waputik Mountains are a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies, located on the Continental Divide of the Americas, Continental Divide between Banff National Park, Banff and Yoho National Park. Covering an area of , the range is located west ...

. Michael Peak is a landmark seen 4.5 kilometres north-northeast of Emerald Lake, three kilometres southwest of

Takakkaw Falls Takakkaw Falls (; also spelled Takkakaw) is a waterfall located in Yoho National Park, near Field, British Columbia in Canada. The falls have a total height of , making them the second tallest waterfall in Canada. The main drop of the waterfall h ...

, and 10 kilometres north of

Field, British Columbia Field is an unincorporated community of approximately 169 people located in the Kicking Horse River valley of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, within the confines of Yoho National Park. At an elevation of , it is west of Lake Louise along ...

History

Originally known as Angle Peak, the mountain was renamed by

Edward Whymper Edward Whymper FRSE (27 April 184016 September 1911) was an English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Four members of his climbing party were killed during the descent. W ...

in 1901 for his friend

Arthur Michael Arthur Michael (August 7, 1853 – February 8, 1942) was an American organic chemist who is best known for the Michael reaction. Life Arthur Michael was born into a wealthy family in Buffalo, New York in 1853, the son of John and Clara Michael, we ...

(1853–1942), an organic chemistry professor who participated in the 1897 first ascents of

Mount Lefroy Mount Lefroy is a mountain on the Continental Divide, at the border of Alberta and British Columbia in western Canada. The mountain is located on the eastern side of Abbot Pass which separates Lake Louise in Banff National Park from Lake O'Hara ...

and Mount Victoria with J. Norman Collie, also a fellow Professor of Organic Chemistry. The

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

of Michael Peak was made 1900 by James Outram, with Christian Kaufmann as guide. Outram wrote of it: ''"Making the ascent entirely on rocks we succeeded in obtaining quite an interesting scramble to the sharp peak we were aiming at and quickly reached the little pinnacle, about 8500 feet above the sea and 2500 feet above the pass. It proved to be the terminal point of the long eastern ridge of the President Group, but little elevated above the

arête An arête ( ) is a narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequ ...

connecting it with the next in the series of minor peaks, yet presenting quite an imposing appearance from below."'' The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 when approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

Geology

Michael Peak is composed of

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

laid down during the Cambrian period. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the

Laramide orogeny The Laramide orogeny was a time period of mountain building in western North America, which started in the Late Cretaceous, 70 to 80 million years ago, and ended 35 to 55 million years ago. The exact duration and ages of beginning and end of the ...

. The Emerald Glacier lies on the north aspect of the peak, which in combination with a glacier to the west, sculpted the rock into an

which connects the peak to the President group.

Climate

Based on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Michael Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 C with wind chill factors below −30 C. Precipitation

runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock marke ...

from Michael Peak drains into the Yoho River and

Emerald River The Emerald River is a short river in British Columbia. It is about long and drains the waters of Emerald Lake to the Kicking Horse River. The river exits the lake's south end and flows in a southern direction for about to its mouth, which is ...

, which are both tributaries of the

Kicking Horse River The Kicking Horse River is in the Canadian Rockies of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The river was named in 1858, when James Hector, a member of the Palliser Expedition, reported being kicked by his packhorse while exploring the river. He ...

Gallery

File:Emerald Lake and Michael Peak.jpg, Michael Peak reflected in Emerald Lake File:Michael Peak snowy.jpg, Michael Peak winter scene File:Beautiful emerald Lake in May 2018.jpg, Miichal Peak to the right File:Michael Peak from Yoho Lake.jpg, Michael Peak from Yoho Lake File:Michael Peak seen from Highway 1.jpg, Michael Peak seen from Highway 1

References

External links