Mount Bertha is a 10,204-foot (3,110 meter) glaciated mountain summit located in the Fairweather Range of the Saint Elias Mountains, in southeast Alaska, United States.

Geography and naming

The peak is situated in Glacier Bay National Park, east-northeast of Mount Crillon which is the nearest higher peak, and southeast of Mount Fairweather, which is the highest peak in the Fairweather Range. The mountain's name first appeared in 1910 when published by U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The USGS claims it was named after S.S. Bertha, an

Alaska Commercial Company The Alaska Commercial Company (ACC) is a company that operated retail stores in Alaska during the early period of Alaska's ownership by the United States. From 1901 to 1992, it was known as the Northern Commercial Company (NCC). In 1992, it resumed ...

steamer in service from 1888 until it wrecked at Uyak Bay on July 18, 1915. However, according to Bradford Washburn of the Boston Museum of Science and

American Mountaineering Museum Henry Bradford Washburn Jr. (June 7, 1910 – January 10, 2007) was an American explorer, mountaineer, photographer, and cartographer. He established the Boston Museum of Science, served as its director from 1939–1980, and from 1985 until his ...

, this feature was named for a prostitute in Skagway known by members of the International Boundary Commission who surveyed the area.

Climbing history

The first ascent of the peak was made July 30, 1940, by Bradford Washburn, his wife

Barbara Washburn Barbara Washburn (November 10, 1914 – September 25, 2014) was an American mountaineer. She became the first woman to climb Denali (Mount McKinley) on June 6, 1947. She was the wife and climbing partner of mountaineer and scientist Bradford Washbu ...

, Maynard Miller, Michl Feuersinger, and Thomas Winship.American Alpine Journal, Ascent of Mount Bertha, Publication Year: 1941
/ref> It was the first mountain climbing experience for Barbara, and Bradford would later refer to the expedition as their honeymoon since they had recently married in April. After the expedition she would learn that she was several months pregnant. In 1947 she became the first woman to summit Denali. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing and viewing.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Bertha has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Fairweather Range ( orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports hanging glaciers on its slopes as well as the immense Brady Glacier to the south,

Reid Glacier Reid Glacier is an 11-mile-long (18 km) glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It trends north to Reid Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, two miles (3 km) south of Glacier Bay and 72 miles (116 km) northwest of Hoonah. ...

to the northeast, and

Johns Hopkins Glacier Johns Hopkins Glacier is a long glacier located in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in the U.S. state of Alaska. It begins on the east slopes of Lituya Mountain and Mount Salisbury, and trends east to the head of Johns Hopkins Inlet, sout ...

to the northwest. Precipitation runoff and meltwater from its glaciers drains into Glacier Bay and the Gulf of Alaska.

Gallery

File:Fairweather Range sunrise.jpg, Mt. Crillon (left) and Mt. Bertha (right) seen from park headquarters File:Mount-Bertha.png, Bertha's summit detail, from northwest File:Johns Hopkins, Mount Bertha and Mount Crillon, tidewater glacier and icefall, September 12, 1973 (GLACIERS 5509).jpg, Bertha upper left with Mt. Crillon and Johns Hopkins Glacier. by Austin Post 1973 File:Mount Bertha, mountain glaciers, September 18, 1972 (GLACIERS 5671).jpg, by Austin Post 1972 File:Bertha and Crillon.jpg, Bertha in front of Crillon

References

External links

* Weather forecast
Mount Bertha
* Account of first ascent
American Alpine Club
* Photo of SS Bertha shipwreck
Alaska State Library-Historical Collections
* Fairweather Range webcam
National Park Service
(Mt. Bertha centered in the distance - on a rare clear day) {{Geographic Location 2 , Center = Mount Bertha , North = Mount Abbe , Northeast =

, East = Glacier Bay , Southeast = Brady Glacier , South =

Mount La Perouse Mount La Perouse is a 10,728-foot (3,270 meter) glaciated mountain summit located in the Fairweather Range of the Saint Elias Mountains, in southeast Alaska, United States. The peak is situated in Glacier Bay National Park, southeast of Mount Da ...

, Southwest =

Mount Dagelet Mount Dagelet is a glaciated mountain summit located in the Fairweather Range of the Saint Elias Mountains, in southeast Alaska, United States. The peak is situated in Glacier Bay National Park, south of Mount Crillon, and northwest of Mount ...

, WSW = Mount Crillon , West = , WNW = Mount Orville , Northwest =