Mount Hunter or Begguya is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

in Denali National Park in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

. It is approximately south of

Denali Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the ...

, the highest peak in North America. "Begguya" means child (of Denali) in the Dena'ina language. Mount Hunter is the third-highest major peak in the

Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBo ...

. Mount Hunter has a complex structure: it is topped by a large, low-angled glacier plateau, connecting the North (Main) Summit and the South Summit (). Long, corniced ridges extend in various directions; between them are exceptionally steep faces.

Naming of the mountain

The native name for the mountain is Begguya, meaning "Denali's Child". Early prospectors referred to the mountain as Mount Roosevelt. In 1903, Robert Dunn, a reporter for the ''New York Commercial Advertiser'', visited the area as part of

Frederick Cook Frederick Albert Cook (June 10, 1865 – August 5, 1940) was an American explorer, physician, and ethnographer who claimed to have reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. That was nearly a year before Robert Peary, who similarly clai ...

's attempt to climb Mount McKinley. He bestowed the name of his aunt Anna Falconnet Hunter (1885–1941), who financed his trip, on a high nearby mountain, prominent from the northwest. This was, in fact, a different peak, now known as Kahiltna Dome. The name Hunter was mistakenly applied to the present-day Mount Hunter by a government surveyor in 1906. In October 2010, the South Summit was named Mount Stevens, after

Ted Stevens Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest-serving Republican Senator in history at the time he left ...

(1923–2010), a former senator of Alaska.

Climbing history

Despite being much lower in elevation than Denali (formerly Mount McKinley), Mount Hunter is a more difficult climb, due to its steep faces and corniced ridges; it also sees far less traffic than its larger neighbor.

Fred Beckey Friedrich Wolfgang Beckey (14 January 1923 – 30 October 2017), known as Fred Beckey, was an American rock climber, mountaineer and book author, who in seven decades of climbing achieved hundreds of first ascents of the tallest peaks and best ro ...

, Heinrich Harrer, and Henry Meybohm completed the first ascent in 1954, via the long West Ridge; this was a great accomplishment for the time and used techniques such as extensive front-pointing which were unusual in the climbing world. Beginning in 1977, with Michael Kennedy and

George Lowe George Edward Lowe (born November 10, 1957) is an American voice actor and comedian whose voice roles include Space Ghost on the animated series ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' and its spin-off, ''Cartoon Planet''.Fred Beckey Friedrich Wolfgang Beckey (14 January 1923 – 30 October 2017), known as Fred Beckey, was an American rock climber, mountaineer and book author, who in seven decades of climbing achieved hundreds of first ascents of the tallest peaks and best ro ...

, Heinrich Harrer, and Henry Meybohm * 1977 ''Lowe-Kennedy'', on the north face. * 1979 ''South Spur'' by John Mallon Waterman (solo, 145 days) * 1981 ''Moonflower Buttress'' (Alaska Grade 6: 5.8 A3 AI6 6100') first ascent to last rock band by Mugs Stump and Paul Aubry (NZ). * 1983 ''Moonflower Buttress'' to summit, first complete ascent by Todd Bibler and Doug Klewin. *1985 "Diamond Arete" (Alaska Grade 6) first ascent by Jack Tackle and Jim Donini * 1989 ''Northwest Face'' first ascent by Conrad Anker and Seth 'S.T.' Shaw, summit attained July 3, 1989. *1994 ''Deprivation'', (Alaska Grade 6, Alpine ED+, 90deg ice) first ascent by Scott Backes and Mark Francis Twight. *1994 ''Wall of Shadows'', (Alaska Grade 6, AI6+ 5.9 A4) first ascent by Greg Child and Michael Kennedy. Mount Hunter - Alaska

Mt McKinley wide view from Kashwitna Lake

Notes

# This is excluding the North Peak and other sub-summits of

References

;Sources *

External links

* Mount Hunter weather
Mountain Forecast
Mount Hunter aerial

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Mount Alaska Range Mountains of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Mountains of Alaska Denali National Park and Preserve Mount Hunter Mountains of Denali National Park and Preserve

Naming of the mountain

Climbing history

See also

Notes

References

External links