Mount Packenham is a mountain summit located in the Opal Range of the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...

of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Evan-Thomas, to the north. Situated on the eastern boundary of Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, the peak is visible from Highway 40 and the Kananaskis Lakes area. Like so many of the mountains in Kananaskis Country, Mount Packenham received its name from the persons and ships involved in the 1916

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

, the only major sea battle of the First World War.

History

The mountain was named in honor of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Sir William C. Pakenham (1861-1933), commander of the

2nd Battlecruiser Squadron The 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron of battlecruisers that saw service as part of the Grand Fleet during the World War I, First World War. August 1914 In August 1914, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron was in the Mediterranean, ...

during the

in World War I. The mountain's name was made official in 1922 by the

Geographical Names Board of Canada The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canada ...

based on a misspelling of Pakenham's name made by the Interprovincial Boundary Commission. The first ascent of the peak was made in 1954 by N. Gish, Malcolm Dickson, P. Rainier, and S.G. Pearson. It has been suggested that this group was actually on Mount Evan-Thomas, which may make the first ascent be in 1972 by J. Pomeroy, M. Simpson and D. Forrest and G. Boles.

Geology

Mount Packenham is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. Mount Packenham was created during the Lewis Overthrust. The steeply tilted strata are virtually the same in each peak of the Opal Range, with softer layers sandwiched between harder layers.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Packenham is located in 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 ...

zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. In terms of favorable weather, June through September are the best months to climb Mount Packenham. 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 market ...

from the west side of the mountain drains into the Kananaskis River, the east side drains into tributaries of the Elbow River, and then both of these merge into the Bow River, and finally into the Saskatchewan River.

References

External links

* Mount Packenham weather
Mountain Forecast
* Mt. Packenham close-up photo
Flickr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Packenham Three-thousanders of Alberta Canadian Rockies Alberta's Rockies

History

Geology

Climate

See also

References

External links