Mount Starr
{{Short description|Mountain in the state of California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Starr
| photo = Mount Starr.jpg
| photo_caption = Southeast aspect
| elevation_ft = 12835
| elevation_ref = Matt Johanson (2019), Sierra Summits: A Guide to Fifty Peak Experiences in California's Range of Light, Falcon Guides, {{ISBN|9781493036455}}, p. 194USGS Topographic Map - Mount Abbot
| prominence_ft = 760.
| prominence_ref = {{cite peakbagger |pid=2660|name=Mount Starr, California|accessdate=2022-05-05}}
| isolation_mi = 1.67
| isolation_ref = {{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/32465|title=Starr, Mount - 12,835' CA|website=listsofjohn.com|accessdate=2022-05-05}}
| parent_peak = Ruby Peak (13,188 ft)
|listing = Vagmarken Club Sierra Crest List{{cite vagmarken |access-date=2022-05-05}}
| etymology = Walter A. Starr Jr.
| map = California#USA
| map_caption = Location in California
| map_size = 260
| label_position = top
| location = {{thinsp|Fresno / Inyo counties, California U.S.}}
| range = Sierra Nevada
| coordinates = {{coord|37.4290273|N|118.7651963|W|type:mountain_region:US-CA_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = {{cite gnis|id=267689|name=Mount Starr|accessdate=2022-05-05}}
| topo = USGS Mount Abbot
| rock =
| age =
| first_ascent = 1896
| easiest_route = {{YDS|2}} via Mono Pass
}}
Mount Starr, elevation {{convert|12835|ft}}, is a mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California, United States. It is situated in the John Muir Wilderness on the common boundary shared by Sierra National Forest with Inyo National Forest, and along the common border of Fresno County with Inyo County. It is bound on the east by Little Lakes Valley, and is 0.8 mile northeast of Mono Pass. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises {{convert|2,300|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above Little Lakes Valley in approximately {{convert|1/2|mi|km|spell=in}}. Neighbors include Mount Abbot, three miles to the south-southwest, Mount Morgan, 2.5 miles to the southeast, and Pointless Peak is 2.5 miles to the north.
History
The first ascent of this mountain was made July 16, 1896, by Walter Starr Sr. and Allen Chickering.[https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/climbers_guide/mammoth_pass_to_mono_pass.html George Bloom and John D. Mendenhall, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)] They were caught in a thunderstorm when everything started buzzing with electricity. Frightened, they descended off the mountain quickly, and would name the mountain "Electric Peak."Matt Johanson (2021), California Summits: A Guide to the 50 Best Accessible Peak Experiences in the Golden State, Falcon Guides, {{ISBN|9781493048175}}, p. 184 However, the mountain would later be renamed after Walter Starr's son.
Named by the Sierra Club to honor one of their own, this mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1939 by the United States Board on Geographic Names to remember Walter A. Starr Jr. (1903–1933), a mountain climber of renown, and author of "Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region."{{Cite web |date=1981 |title=Geographic Names Information System |url=https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/267689 |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=edits.nationalmap.gov}} In the summer of 1933, "Pete", as he was nicknamed, failed to return from a month-long hike to the Minarets, and his body was eventually discovered by Norman Clyde following a search.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Starr is located in an alpine climate zone.{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Nevada-mountains/Climate |title=Climate of the Sierra Nevada |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}} Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from the west side of this mountain drains into Golden Creek, and from the east side into Rock Creek.
Gallery
File:Mount Starr, Sierra Nevada, California.jpg|East aspect
File:Looking back up toward Mount Starr.jpg|North aspect
File:Winter High (11168196244).jpg|View from summit looking south
File:Mt. Starr, Sierra Nevada.jpg|The north end of Mt. Starr seen from Bear Creek Lake area
File:Golden Aspens, Rock Creek Canyon, CA 9-16 (30238924680).jpg|The north end of Mt. Starr seen from Bear Creek Lake area
See also
{{Portal|Mountains}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- Weather forecast: [https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-table/2-5398709/United%20States/California/Inyo%20County/Mount%20Starr Mount Starr]
- Mount Starr rock climbing: [https://www.mountainproject.com/area/113418325/mt-starr Mountainproject.com]
- Walter A. Starr, Jr. [http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/stories/walter_starr.pdf Biography and photo]
{{John Muir Wilderness|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Mount}}
Category:Sierra National Forest
Category:Mountains of Inyo County, California
Category:Mountains of Fresno County, California
Category:Mountains of the John Muir Wilderness
Category:Three-thousanders of the United States