Mount Hunter (Alaska)

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'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.Jonathan Waterman, High Alaska, AAC Press, 1988.

In October 2010, the South Summit was named Mount Stevens, after Ted Stevens (1923–2010), a former senator of Alaska.{{cite web

|url = http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/alaska-beat/88-alaska-beat/7202-hello-mount-stevens

|title = Hello, Mount Stevens!

|date = October 19, 2010

|work = Alaska Beat

|publisher = Alaska Dispatch Publishing

|access-date = 2010-10-19

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101023131553/http://alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/alaska-beat/88-alaska-beat/7202-hello-mount-stevens

|archive-date= October 23, 2010

}}

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, 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's climb of a route on the northwest face of Mount Hunter, this steep rock and ice face has been the scene of many landmark hard climbs.

• 1954 West Ridge - first ascent of the peak by Fred Beckey, Heinrich Harrer, and Henry MeybohmSelters 2004, p. 170
• 1977 Lowe-Kennedy, on the north face.Selters 2004, p. 263
• 1978 Southeast Spur by John Mallon Waterman (solo, 145 days){{cite web |last1=Krakauer |first1=Jon |author-link1=Jon Krakauer |title=Death of an Innocent: How Christopher McCandless lost his way in the wilds |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/death-of-an-innocent-in-1990-chris-mccandless-left-his-welloff-east-coast-family-gave-his-college-fund-to-oxfam-and-took-to-the-road--young-idealistic-invincible-last-year-equipped-with-little-more-than-tolstoy-and-a-rifle-he-hitched-into-alaska-there-the-wilderness-turned-against-him-1454550.html |website=The Independent |publisher=Outside Magazine |access-date=June 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140316152121/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/death-of-an-innocent-in-1990-chris-mccandless-left-his-welloff-east-coast-family-gave-his-college-fund-to-oxfam-and-took-to-the-road--young-idealistic-invincible-last-year-equipped-with-little-more-than-tolstoy-and-a-rifle-he-hitched-into-alaska-there-the-wilderness-turned-against-him-1454550.html |archive-date=2014-03-16 |date=January 1993 |url-status=dead}}
• 1981 Moonflower Buttress (Alaska Grade 6: 5.8 A3 AI6 6100') first ascent to last rock band by Mugs Stump and Paul Aubry (NZ).{{Cite web | last = Westman | first = Mark | title = Hunter: Grand repeat and epic near-ascent | work = Alpinist Newswire | publisher = Alpinist Magazine | date = May 25, 2007 | url = http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP19/newswire-hunter-westman-walsh-bracey-houseman | access-date = July 24, 2010 }}
• 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.{{cite aaj | last = Anker | first = Conrad | title = Hunter's Northwest Face | volume = 42 | issue = 64 | pages = 36–38 | location = NYC, NY, USA | year = 1990 | article_id=12199003700 | isbn = 0-930410-43-2 | links=off|access-date = 2020-11-22}}
• 1994 Deprivation, (Alaska Grade 6, Alpine ED+, 90deg ice) first ascent by Scott Backes and Mark Francis Twight.{{Cite aaj | last = Twight | first = Mark Francis | article_id=12199501100

| title = "Deprivation" on Mount Hunter | volume = 37

| issue = 69 | pages = 11–14 | location = Golden, CO, USA | year = 1995 | isbn = 0-930410-61-0 |links=off|access-date=2025-05-05 }}

• 1994 Wall of Shadows, (Alaska Grade 6, AI6+ 5.9 A4) first ascent by Greg Child and Michael Kennedy.{{Cite aaj | article_id=12199500100 | last = Kennedy | first = Michael

| title = Shadows of Doubt, Mount Hunter | volume = 37

| issue = 69 | pages = 1–10 | location = Golden, CO, USA | year = 1995

| isbn = 0-930410-61-0 | links=off|access-date = 2020-11-22}}

File:Climbers on the SW Ridge of Mt. Hunter, Alaska.jpg|Looking down the SW Ridge at about 10,500 ft

File:Mount Hunter - Alaska.jpg|Mount Hunter

File:Mt Hunter Alaska Sunrise.jpg|Sunrise on Mount Hunter

File:Mount Hunter aerial.jpg|Mount Hunter

File:Mt McKinley wide view from Kashwitna Lake.jpg

{{clear}}

{{Portal|North America|United States|Alaska|Mountains }}

• List of mountain peaks of North America
• List of mountain peaks of the United States
• List of mountain peaks of Alaska
• List of the highest major summits of the United States
• List of the most prominent summits of the United States

{{Clear}}

1. {{note|third}} This is excluding the North Peak and other sub-summits of Denali.

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite aaj | article_id=12195503900 | title = Mt. Deborah and Mt. Hunter: First Ascents

| year = 1955 | volume = 9 | issue = 2

| author = Beckey, Fred | author-link = Fred Beckey | access-date = 2020-11-22}}

}}

;Sources

• {{cite book | last = Selters | first = Andy | title = Ways to the Sky

| publisher = The American Alpine Club Press | year = 2004 | location = Golden, CO, USA | isbn = 0-930410-83-1}}

{{Sister project links|Mount Hunter}}

• Mount Hunter weather: [https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-Hunter/forecasts/4442 Mountain Forecast]

{{NA highest}}

{{Alaska highest}}

{{Alaska}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Mount}}

Category:Alaska Range

Category:Mountains of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

Hunter

Category:Mountains of Denali National Park and Preserve