Mount Conness
{{Short description|Mountain in California, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Conness
| photo = File:Mount Conness, north aspect.jpg
| photo_caption = from the south, showing Conness Glacier
| photo_size = 304px
| elevation_ft = 12590
| elevation_ref = {{NAVD88}}{{cite ngs |id=HR2743 |name=Mount Conness |accessdate=2009-02-23}}
| prominence = {{convert|2630|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| prominence_ref = {{cite peakbagger |pid=2601 |name=Mount Conness, California |accessdate=2009-02-23}}
| parent_peak = Mount Dana{{cite loj |id=17160 |name=Mount Conness |accessdate=2012-04-01}}
| listing =
| location = Mono / Tuolumne counties, California, U.S.
| map = California
| map_caption = Location in California
| map_size = 240
| label_position = below
| range = Sierra Nevada
| coordinates = {{coord|37.967040447|N|119.321287011|W|type:mountain_region:US-CA_scale:100000_source:NGS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates =
| topo = USGS Tioga Pass
| first_ascent = 1864 by Clarence King and James T. Gardiner
{{cite book
| last = Whitney
| first = Josiah D.
| author-link = Josiah Whitney
| url = http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/the_yosemite_book/chapter_4.html#page_92
| title = Yosemite Guide Book
| page = 92
| year = 1870
| accessdate = 2009-01-04}}
| easiest_route = Scramble, {{YDS|2}}
}}
Mount Conness is a {{Convert|12590|foot|metres}} mountain in the Sierra Nevada range, to the west of the Hall Natural Area. Conness is on the boundary between the Inyo National Forest and Yosemite National Park. The Conness Glacier lies north of the summit.
History
Mount Conness is named for John Conness (1821–1909), a native of Ireland who came to United States in 1836.{{cite book |last=Browning |first=Peter |title=Yosemite Place Names: The Historic Background of Geographic Names in Yosemite National Park |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3Rs7E7_J_IC&pg=PA29 |year=2005 |publisher=Great West Books |isbn=978-0-944220-19-1 |page=29}}{{cite Farquhar |index=c |page=15 |accessdate=2009-08-09}} Conness was a member of California legislature (1853–1854, 1860–1861) and the United States Senator from California (1863–1869). He resided in Massachusetts from 1869 until his death in 1909.
{{cite web
| url = http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=c000695
| title = Conness, John
| publisher = Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
| accessdate = 2009-08-09 }}
In 1860 Josiah Dwight Whitney Jr. was appointed State Geologist of California and he organized the California Geological Survey (1863–1870). Whitney, along with William H. Brewer, Clarence King, James T. Gardiner, Charles F. Hoffmann, Lorenzo G. Yates, Richard D. Cotter and others, made an extensive survey of California, including the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite region. Whitney wrote:
"Mount Conness bears the name of a distinguished citizen of California, now a United States Senator, who deserves more than any other person, the credit of carrying the bill, organizing the Geological Survey of California, through the Legislature, and who is chiefly to be credited for another great scientific work, the Survey of the 40th Parallel."
{{cite book
| last = Whitney
| first = Josiah D.
| author-link = Josiah Whitney
| url = http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/the_yosemite_book/chapter_4.html#page_90
| title = Yosemite Guide Book
| year = 1870
| page = 90
| accessdate = 2009-01-04 }}
Clarence King, a geologist for the Survey and the first to ascend Mount Conness along with James T. Gardiner in 1864, wrote:
"I recognized the old familiar summit... and that firm peak with titan strength and brow so square and solid, it seems altogether natural we should have named it for California’s statesman, John Conness."
{{cite book
| last = King
| first = Clarence
| url = http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/mountaineering_in_the_sierra_nevada/13.html#page_328
| page = 328
| title = Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada
| year = 1872
| accessdate = 2009-01-04}}
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Mount Conness 37.9667 N, 119.3129 W, Elevation: {{cvt|11903|ft}} (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = y
|Jan high F = 29.5
|Feb high F = 28.8
|Mar high F = 31.6
|Apr high F = 35.4
|May high F = 42.7
|Jun high F = 52.2
|Jul high F = 59.9
|Aug high F = 59.2
|Sep high F = 53.9
|Oct high F = 45.1
|Nov high F = 35.8
|Dec high F = 29.6
|Jan mean F = 19.9
|Feb mean F = 18.4
|Mar mean F = 20.7
|Apr mean F = 23.9
|May mean F = 30.9
|Jun mean F = 40.4
|Jul mean F = 47.8
|Aug mean F = 47.1
|Sep mean F = 41.7
|Oct mean F = 33.5
|Nov mean F = 25.4
|Dec mean F = 19.6
|Jan low F = 10.4
|Feb low F = 8.0
|Mar low F = 9.8
|Apr low F = 12.3
|May low F = 19.1
|Jun low F = 28.6
|Jul low F = 35.8
|Aug low F = 35.0
|Sep low F = 29.5
|Oct low F = 22.0
|Nov low F = 15.0
|Dec low F = 9.7
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 8.92
|Feb precipitation inch = 7.78
|Mar precipitation inch = 7.32
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.69
|May precipitation inch = 2.21
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.75
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.66
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.50
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.65
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.32
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.64
|Dec precipitation inch = 7.51
|source=PRISM Climate Group{{cite web
|url= http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
|title= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|publisher= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|access-date= October 9, 2023
|quote= To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.}}
}}
Climbing
Conness is a training ground for alpine climbing since it utilizes many aspects of mountaineering: trails, scrambling, and glacier trekking; all at a high altitude for California. Usually climbers camp near Tioga Pass and begin the climb at dawn. It takes about a full day to summit.
The summit block consists of {{YDS|2}} scrambling along a knife edge ridge leading to the summit consisting of views to the east of the Conness Glacier and to the west toward Tuolumne Meadows.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons}}
- {{cite summitpost |id=150473 |title=Mount Conness}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.thebackcountry.org/trail/mount-conness-00.html |title=Mount Conness |publisher=TheBackcountry.org}}
- {{cite web |url=http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/553742775TcpwPd |title=Climbing Mt Conness (photo essay) |publisher=WebShots.com}}
- {{cite web |url=http://sepwww.stanford.edu/~morgan/adventures/yosemite/trips2002/conness_north_ridge.html |title=Climb of Mount Conness - North Ridge |access-date=2009-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724193001/http://sepwww.stanford.edu/~morgan/adventures/yosemite/trips2002/conness_north_ridge.html |archive-date=2010-07-24 |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite Farquhar |index=C |page=15}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conness, Mount}}
Category:Mountains of Yosemite National Park
Category:Mountains of Mono County, California
Category:Mountains of Tuolumne County, California