WASHINGTON'S HIGHEST MOUNTAINS | |||||||
FIRST ASCENT CHRONOLOGY | |||||||
Sources: Fred Beckey, Cascade Alpine Guides , primary source (fb) | |||||||
Harry Majors, Northwest Discovery , Exploring Washington , and personal communication (hm). See notes. | |||||||
National Geodetic Survey data sheets (NGS) | |||||||
Compiled by John Roper based on above (2004) | |||||||
Rank | |||||||
400'P | |||||||
List | Elev | Name | Year | Mo | Day | First Ascent Climbers | |
1850s | |||||||
8 b80 | 9677 | Mt St Helens (b 5.18.80) | 1853 | 8 | 26or 27 | Thomas Dryer, Wilson, Smith, Drew (8/26 per hm1, 8/27 per fb). | |
3 | 12276 | Mount Adams | 1854 | A.G.Aiken, Edward Allen, Andrew Burge | |||
1860s | |||||||
5 | 10781 | Mount Baker | 1868 | 8 | 17 | Edmund Coleman, John Tennant, David Ogilvy, Thomas Stratton (see hm2) | |
1870s | |||||||
1 | 14410 | Mount Rainier | 1870 | 8 | 17 | Hazard Stevens, Philemon Van Trump (per Fred Beckey) | |
1 | 14410 | Mount Rainier | 1870 | 10 | 17 | Samuel Emmons, Allen Wilson (First complete ascent to Columbia Crest per Harry Majors. See hm3.) | |
10 | 9415 | Mount Stuart | 1873 | Angus McPherson (Possibly 1883 by Frank Tweedy-USGS) See hm4. | |||
1880s | |||||||
2 | 14112 | Liberty Cap | 1892 | 7 | 31 | Warren Riley, George Jones, Frank Taggart, Frank Lowe (East ridge from Columbia Crest (hm) | |
1890s | |||||||
4 | 11138 | Little Tahoma | 1894 | 8 | 29 | J.B.Flett, Henry Garrison | |
6 | 10520 | + | Glacier Peak | 1897 | Thomas Gerdine, Sam Strom, A.H.Dubor, Darcy Bard (USGS) | ||
<400 | 8680 | + | Sahale Peak | 1897 | 8 | Albert H. Sylvester, John Charlton (USGS) | |
13 | 9131 | Mount Shuksan | 1897 | Joe Morovits (hm) | |||
25 | 8898 | Gardner Mountain | 1898 | Albert H. Sylvester (USGS) or 1899 | |||
37 | 8690 | Star Peak | 1898 | Albert H. Sylvester, C.F. Urquhaart | |||
55 | 8512 | Reynolds Peak | 1898 | Albert H. Sylvester (USGS) or 1899 | |||
1900s | |||||||
58 | 8501 | Cashmere Mountain | 1900 | Possibly. By Robert A. Farmer (USGS) (hm) | |||
14 | 9112 | Buckner Mountain | 1901 | 8 | 1 | Lewis D. Ryan (Washington State Geological Survey) | |
45 | 8601 | Cathedral Peak | 1901 | 8 | 3 | George Otis Smith, Carl William Smith (his nephew) (USGS) hm6 | |
87 | 8358 | Amphitheater Mountain | 1901 | George Otis Smith, Frank Calkins | |||
17 | 9066 | Jack Mountain | 1904 | 9 | 17 | Sledge Tatum, George Loudon, Jr. (USGS) | |
19 | 8979 | Mount Spickard | 1904 | Walter Reaburn (USGS) | |||
35 | 8726 | Robinson Mountain | 1904 | 9 | 20 | Sledge Tatum, George Loudon, Jr. (USGS) | |
38 | 8685 | Remmel Mountain | 1904 | 7 | 26 | Sledge Tatum, George Loudon, Jr. (USGS) | |
91 | 8333 | m | Windy Peak | 1904 | 7 | 6 | Sledge Tatum, George Loudon, Jr. (USGS) Poss.1901 Smith, Calkins |
100 | 8306 | Castle Peak | 1904 | Described by International Boundary Commission ECB (E.C.Barnard per HMM) | |||
13 | 9131 | Mount Shuksan | 1906 | 9 | 7 | Asahel Curtis, William Montelius Price (possibly Joe Morovits in 1897) (hm7) | |
7 | 10160 | + | Sherman Peak | 1907 | Joe Morovits (hm5) | ||
1910s | |||||||
76 | 8400 | + | Luahna Peak* | 1911 | 8 | 13 | Rodney Glisan, H.H.Prouty, Winthrop Stone, C.W.Whittlesey (Mazamas) |
64 | 8459 | Chiwawa Mountain | 1911 | 8 | 17 | Winthrop Stone, and one other member (Mazamas) (hm) | |
66 | 8444 | Tower Mountain | 1913 | date on map, by surveyors | |||
1920s | |||||||
9 | 9440 | + | Colfax Peak | 1921 | Clarence Fisher, David Anderson, Paul Hugdahl (c.1926 per hm) | ||
64 | 8459 | Chiwawa Mountain | 1921 | Lorenz Nelson and Mountaineer party (fb) | |||
40 | 8638 | Cannon Mountain | 1921 | Shortly before 1922, probably by USFS per hm. | |||
83 | 8366 | West Craggy Peak | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 12 photos, nos. 206992-207003 (hm) | |||
23 | 8956 | North Gardner Mountain | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 3 photos, nos. 207172-207174 (hm) | |||
42 | 8614 | Ptarmigan Peak | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 11 photos, nos.207444-207454 (hm) | |||
<400 | 8397 | Blackcap Mountain | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 5 photos, nos.207464-207468 (hm) * | |||
81 | 8371 | Lake Mountain | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 8 photos, nos.207469-207476 (hm).* | |||
63 | 8464 | Lost Peak | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 7 photos, nos. 207487-207493 (hm) * | |||
34 | 8745 | Mount Lago | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 4 photos, nos.207497-207500 (hm). But no evidence of previous ascent found by Hermann F. Ulrichs and Dick Alt July 1933 (fb) |
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50 | 8587 | Osceola Peak | 1925 | Lage Wernstedt, 11 photos, nos.207550-207560 (hm). June 1933 by Hermann Ulrichs, Richard Alt (poss L.Wernstedt) (fb) |
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27 | 8876 | Silver Star Mountain | 1926 | Lage Wernstedt, 6 photos, nos.213825-213830 (hm). No cairn found by Hermann Ulrichs in 1932 (fb). | |||
20 | 8970 | Black Peak | 1926 | Lage Wernstedt, and one other? (fb) 13 photos, nos.213884-213894, 213896, 213915 (hm) |
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15 | 9087 | Mount Logan | 1926 | Lage Wernstedt, and one other? (fb) 7 photos, nos. 213906-213913 with 213909 missing per hm. | |||
1930s | |||||||
21 | 8969 | Mount Redoubt | 1930 | Jimmie Cherry, Bob Ross | |||
88 | 8347 | Snowfield Peak | 1931 | 8 | 1 | William Degenhardt, Herbert Strandberg | |
71 | 8421 | Dumbell Mountain | 1932 | 8 | Richard Alt, George Fahey | ||
<400 | 9100 | Seven Fingered Jack | 1932 | 9 | 5 | Richard Alt, George Fahey (hm) | |
18 | 9040 | + | Mount Maude | 1932 | 8 | 19 | Hermann F. Ulrichs, John Burnett (hm) (7/32 FB) |
95 | 8321 | Abernathy Peak | 1933 | 5 | 29 | Hermann F. Ulrichs, Bennett Falkenburg (hm) | |
47 | 8595 | Mount Carru | 1933 | 6 | Hermann F. Ulrichs, Richard Alt (fb). Poss.Wernstedt 1925 but no photos (hm). Possibly Eugene Albin, Clint Hanks, Frank Clapsaddle Sept.1928 (per Steve Fry) |
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28 | 8868 | Eldorado Peak | 1933 | 8 | 27 | Donald Blair, Norval Grigg, Arthur Wilson, Art Winder | |
11 | 9249 | Mount Fernow | 1933 | 8 | 28 | Hermann F. Ulrichs, Oscar Pennington (hm). 8/1932 per fb. | |
75 | 8400 | + | Azurite Peak | 1933 | 8 | Hermann F. Ulrichs, Sydney Schmerling (Lage Wernstedt high in 1925) | |
68 | 8440 | + | Mount Bigelow | 1935 | 7 | Bud Brady and companion (hm) | |
2 | 14112 | Liberty Cap | 1935 | 9 | 30 | Ome Daiber, Arnie Campbell, Jim Borrow (FA Liberty Ridge per FB). See 1892. | |
12 | 9200 | + | Mount Goode | 1936 | 7 | 5 | Wolf Bauer, Phil Dickert, Joe Halwax, Jack Hossack, George MacGowan |
59 | 8511 | Martin Peak | 1936 | 7 | Ida Zacher (Darr), passing an inscription on the way dated 1901. | ||
24 | 8920 | + | Dome Peak | 1936 | 8 | 1 | George Freed, Erick Larson ( On 7/5/1936 Forest Farr, Norval Grigg, Don Blair did SW peak) |
8 | 9511 | Bonanza Peak | 1937 | 6 | 28 | Joe Leuthold, Curtis Ijames, Barrie James | |
22 | 8964 | Copper Peak | 1937 | 9 | 11 | Franklin Bennet, Edgar Courtwright, Toivo Hagman (hm). In August 1937 (fb). | |
29 | 8840 | + | Dragontail Peak | 1937 | 6 | William A. Long, Dudley Kelly | |
70 | 8422 | Emerald Peak | 1937 | William A. Long | |||
72 | 8415 | NE Dumbell Mountain' | 1937 | 7 | 4 | Ralph Titchenal (per summit register photo by John Roper 1984, and Mike Torok 2004) | |
94 | 8325 | Mount Formidable | 1938 | 7 | 25 | Calder Bressler, Ray Clough (hm), Bill Cox, Tom Myers. | |
26 | 8894 | Boston Peak | 1938 | 7 | 28 | Calder Bressler, Ray Clough (hm), Bill Cox, Tom Myers. | |
99 | 8311 | Luna Peak | 1938 | 9 | 23 | Will F. Thompson, Bill Cox (per summit register at UW per Roger Jung) | |
69 | 8440 | + | Sinister Peak | 1939 | 5 | 29 | Lloyd Anderson, Jim Crooks, Clint Kelley |
1940s | |||||||
30 | 8815 | Forbidden Peak | 1940 | 6 | 1 | Lloyd Anderson, Fred Beckey, Helmy Beckey, Jim Crooks, Dave Lind | |
60 | 8485 | Klawatti Peak | 1940 | 7 | 5 | Lloyd Anderson, Karl Boyer, Tom Gorton (hm). 7/7 per fb. | |
67 | 8440 | + | Dorado Needle | 1940 | 7 | 5 | Lloyd Anderson, Karl Boyer, Tom Gorton (hm). 7/7 per fb. |
86 | 8360 | + | Devore Peak | 1940 | 7 | 28 | Everett Darr, Ida Darr, Abigail Avery, Stuart B. Avery, Jane Foster McConnell, Grant McConnell, Paul Parker (per John Roper photo) |
97 | 8320 | + | Tupshin Peak | 1940 | 9 | 9 | Everett Darr, Ida Darr, Joe Leuthold, Eldon Metzger |
98 | 8320 | Mount Flora | 1940 | 9 | 11 | Joe Leuthold, Eldon Metzger (fb). To N Pk 8300+ per hm, with FA of 8320 to Al Gerding and party in 1941. | |
57 | 8504 | Mox Peaks SE | 1941 | 6 | 22 | Fred Beckey, Helmy Beckey | |
73 | 8407 | Mox Peaks NW | 1941 | 6 | 21 | Fred Beckey, Helmy Beckey | |
82 | 8366 | Golden Horn | 1946 | 9 | 18 | Fred Beckey, Keith Rankin, Chuck Welsh | |
85 | 8364 | McClellan Peak | 1946 | 7 | 5 | Ken Prestrud, Keith Rankin, William Herston | |
93 | 8330 | + | Big Snagtooth | 1946 | 9 | 29 | Fred Beckey, Jerry O'Neil, Charles Welsh |
<400 | 8440 | + | Little Annapurna | 1948 | 7 | 28 | Joe Vance, Melvin Marcus, Marvin Lewis, Dick Merritt (hm) 7/47 per fb, and Art Holben, not M.Lewis |
53 | 8520 | + | Storm King | 1948 | 7 | Mazama party of about 30 (hm8) | |
36 | 8705 | Colchuck Peak | 1948 | 9 | 11 | Elvin Johnson, Norma Johnson, William A. Long, Kathy Long. 8/11/48 per fb. | |
77 | 8400 | + | Pinnacle Mountain | 1948 | 9 | Ken Fleming, Dwight Watson (found no cairn, but FA "unknown" ?) | |
52 | 8528 | + | Buck Mountain | 1948 | 9 | 19 | Carl Suback, Ray Rigg (Nov. 1948 Mtr Bull, p.4) (hm). Mazamas? 1926 (fb) |
1950s | |||||||
56 | 8508 | Primus Peak | 1951 | 8 | Les Carlson, Elwyn Elerding, Jeanne Elerding | ||
79 | 8392 | South Spectacle Butte | 1953 | 8 | 20 | Rowland Tabor, Dwight Crowder | |
43 | 8605 | Sherpa Peak | 1955 | 7 | 1 | Bill Prater, Gene Prater, Dave Mahre | |
54 | 8520 | e | Enchantment Peak | 1955 | 9 | 20 | Fred Beckey (thought N point was higher) |
<400 | 8480 | + | Mount Rahm | 1955 | 8 | 5 | Joe Hutton, Peggy Hutton, Roy Mason |
65 | 8453 | Argonaut Peak | 1955 | 9 | Bill Prater, Lex Maxwell, Bob McCall | ||
16 | 9080 | + | Lincoln Peak | 1956 | 7 | 22 | Fred Beckey, Wesley Grande, John Rupley, Herb Staley |
41 | 8630 | Mount Custer' | 1958 | Frank Dawe, Roy Mason, Karl Teichman | |||
1960s | |||||||
90 | 8334 | Austera Peak | 1965 | 9 | 16 | Joe Firey, Joan Firey, John Meulemans, Irene Meulemans, Tony Hovey | |
31 | 8795 | Mesahchie/Panther' Pk | 1966 | 7 | 5 | Joe Firey, Joan Firey, John Meulemans, Irene Meulemans | |
39 | 8680 | + | Katsuk Peak/Mt Holyoke' | 1968 | 8 | 22 | John Roper, Chris Roper |
1970s | |||||||
92 | 8332 | Cosho Peak | 1970 | 6 | 6 | John Roper, Jerry Swanson | |
46 | 8600 | + | Kimtah/Gendarmes' Pk | 1970 | 6 | 7 | John Roper, Jerry Swanson |
48 | 8592 | Monument Peak | 1978 | 9 | 26 | John Roper, Fred Beckey | |
1980s | |||||||
<400 | 8504 | Dark Peak | 1980 | 8 | 10 | Russ Kroeker, Dick Kegel, Mike Bialos | |
<400 | 8480 | + | Horseshoe Peak | 1980 | 7 | 13 | Russ Kroeker, Bruce Gibbs, Mary Jo Gibbs (per Russ Kroeker 12/19/04). |
FA Unknown | |||||||
31 | 8795 | Oval Peak | unk | ? USGS in 1898 with Star | |||
33 | 8760 | + | Fortress Mountain | unk | ? With Chiwawa in 1921. Poss about 1944 by USGS per hm | ||
44 | 8602 | Clark Mountain | unk | See 1911. | |||
49 | 8590 | Cardinal Peak | unk | Austin Post found a large old cairn with no register on summit in 1941 | |||
51 | 8580 | e? | Raven Ridge | unk | |||
61 | 8470 | Big Craggy Peak | unk | Wernstedt climbed W Craggy, but there is no photo evidence here (hm). 5/29/60 register at UW | |||
62 | 8464 | Hoodoo Peak | unk | ||||
74 | 8404 | Saska Peak | unk | ||||
78 | 8392 | Courtney Peak | unk | ||||
80 | 8375 | Martin Peak | unk | ||||
84 | 8365 | Mt Saint Helens | unk | USGS or strawman | |||
96 | 8321 | Switchback'/Cooney Mtn' | unk | Before 8/15/1974 (hm) | |||
89 | 8340 | e | Mount Ballard | unk | The 1962 USGS benchmark was placed by helicopter (NGS) | ||
Notes | |||||||
Harry M. Majors addenda (hm) | |||||||
hm1 | St. Helens | ||||||
HMM published an annotated analysis of Dryer's 1853 narrative in the Aug. 1980 issue of Northwest Discovery, pp. 164-180. | |||||||
hm2 | Baker | ||||||
Per Harry Majors, the correct spelling is "unquestionably Tennant." John A. Tennant (d. 1893) was one of the more prominent early pioneers | |||||||
of the Bellingham area. On July 2, 1870 he accompanied Daniel C. Linsley on the first ascent of Indian Head Peak. | |||||||
Indian guides Talum and Squock canoed the 1868 Baker FA party up MFk Nooksack. Their names are now honored by Baker glaciers. | |||||||
hm3 | Rainier | ||||||
The October 17, 1870 party deserves the FA honors of the highest summit on Rainier per Harry Majors. | |||||||
Other important ascents are: | |||||||
July 16, 1857 FA of Rainier to Point Success saddle at 14080' at the base of the summit cone by August V. Kautz (FA of Kautz Route) | |||||||
1858 (probably) FA to east rim of east crater at 14200', perhaps to Columbia Crest by two unidentified miners (FA of Winthrop-Emmons route) | |||||||
August 17, 1870, FA to Point Success 14158 and west crater 14340' by Hazard Stevens and Philemon B. Van Trump (FA by Gibralter Route). | |||||||
(Beckey credits this as FA of Rainier.) | |||||||
hm4 | Stuart | ||||||
Claude E. Rusk wrote in 1924 that Frank Bryant, wilderness man and miner, climbed Stuart on an early (unknown) date where he found a stick | |||||||
on top inscribed with the name and date, "Angus McPherson 1873," per hm. | |||||||
Frank Tweedy (of Lewisia tweedyi fame) climbed Stuart on August 5, 1883 for USGS. Two days later, Tweedy went back with Richard U. Goode | |||||||
(the Good of Mount Goode). They made no mention of McPherson's stick. | |||||||
hm5 | Sherman | ||||||
First ascent in 1907 by Joe Morovits (1964 Mountaineer, p. 82; Aug. 1976 Off Belay, p. 10). | |||||||
Beckey credits Valentine V. Lowe and L.L. Bales with the FA of Sherman on June 29, 1884. | |||||||
In 1978, Harry Majors published the known surviving accounts of the 1884 Victor V. Lowe and L.L. Bales second ascent of Mt. Baker (1978 "Mount Baker," pp. 208-217). Until then, the existence of this ascent had been entirely unknown to all Northwest historians and scholars. | |||||||
Majors' research uncovered that Coleman's 8/17/1868 FA party on Baker had applied the "Sherman Peak" name to the highest point on Baker | |||||||
(now labeled as Grant Peak). The 1868 party called the slightly lower central snow dome on the summit plateau "Grant Peak." | |||||||
The second ascent party on Baker in 1884 of V.V.Lowe and L.L. Bales reported back that they climbed (Coleman's) "Sherman Peak," Baker's high point.. | |||||||
Later the Sherman name was moved to its current position, and the early terminology led to errant credit on the FA of Sherman Peak 10160+. | |||||||
hm6 | Cathedral Peak George Otis Smith called this "Cathedral Rock." | ||||||
hm7 | Shuksan | ||||||
Beckey states Morovits may have climbed Shuksan, but leans to giving FA credit on Shuksan to Curtis and Price in 1906. | |||||||
Per Curtis, "There was no trace of a previous ascent; no rocks had been disturbed and no cairn built." However, he also writes of a | |||||||
possible cairn-buster, "Nearly every rock on top was scarred by lightning, some being fused to glass." | |||||||
Majors feels Morovits' 1897 ascent (possibly with others) is probably legitimate based on records from Claude E.Rusk,mountaineer, attorney, AAC founder, | |||||||
who climbed Baker in 1903 and visited Morovits in his cabin on Swift Creek at the base of Baker and Shuksan. | |||||||
hm8 | Storm King | ||||||
Art Winder told Harry Majors that he and Forrest Farr climbed Peak 8120+ (0.5 mi. E of Park Creek Pass) on July 26, 1933, not Storm King. | |||||||
hm | The order of peaks climbed by Lage Wernstedt is speculated from photo number data provided by Harry Majors. |
* Based on research by Harry Majors (1973), confirmed at a different source by Roger Jung (2005), Lage Wernstedt made FAs of these peaks definitely in 1925, not 1926, a possibility surmised in CAG-3.
Other updates to CAGs:
1868 (Baker): Tennant is correct spelling, not Termant.
1937 (NE Dumbell): Titchenal is correct spelling, not Titterud.
1938 (Formidible and Boston): Ray Clough is correct, not Ralph.
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Copyright 2004, John Roper. All Rights Reserved.