Ladd Peak

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Ladd Peak
Ladd Peak.jpg
West aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation 12,967 ft (3,952 m) [1]
Prominence 660 ft (201 m) [1]
Parent peak Mount Whitecap (13,025 ft) [1]
Isolation 0.66 mi (1.06 km) [1]
Coordinates 43°10′30″N109°42′08″W / 43.1750488°N 109.7021922°W / 43.1750488; -109.7021922 [2]
Naming
Etymology Dr. William S. Ladd (1887–1949)
Geography
USA Wyoming location map.svg
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Ladd Peak
Location in Wyoming
Usa edcp relief location map.png
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Ladd Peak
Ladd Peak (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Wyoming
County Sublette
Protected area Bridger Wilderness
Parent range Rocky Mountains
Wind River Range [3]
Topo map USGS Gannett Peak
Geology
Type of rock granitic
Climbing
First ascent 1921 [4]
Easiest route class 3 scrambling East Ridge [4]

Ladd Peak is a 12,967-foot-elevation (3,952-meter) mountain summit in Sublette County, Wyoming, United States. [2]

Contents

Description

Ladd Peak is located in the remote Wind River Range, which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is set 2.35 miles (3.78 km) west of the Continental Divide within the Bridger Wilderness, on land managed by Bridger-Teton National Forest. The nearest town is Pinedale, 23 miles (37 km) to the south-southwest. Ladd Peak ranks as the 40th-highest peak in Wyoming and is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Gannett Peak, the highest peak in Wyoming. [1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into headwaters of the Green River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises nearly 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above the river in 1.25 mile (2 km) and the 4,500-foot rise above Three Forks Park is the largest rise in the Wind River Range. [4]

History

The first ascent of the summit was made in 1921 by Dr. William S. Ladd, Evans Clark, Freda Kirchwey, and Dr. Adolf Schultz via the East Ridge. [3] [4] [5] The North Couloir was first climbed in 1974 by Stan Hilbert and Bill March. [4] The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. [2]

William S. Ladd

In addition to making the first ascent of this peak, Dr. Ladd is also credited with first ascents of Mount Saskatchewan and North Twin Peak in Canada. An avid mountaineer, he served as president of the American Alpine Club from 1929 through 1931. [6] He was born in Portland, Oregon, on August 16, 1887, and died unexpectedly on September 17, 1949.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ladd Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. [7] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer.

Hazards

Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range. [8] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures. [9]

Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993, [10] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader), [11] 2015 [12] and 2018. [13] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near Squaretop Mountain [14] in 2005, [15] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue. [16] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gannett Peak</span> Mountain in Wyoming, United States

Gannett Peak is the highest mountain peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming at 13,810 feet (4,210 m). It lies in the Wind River Range within the Bridger Wilderness of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Straddling the Continental Divide along the boundary between Fremont and Sublette counties, it has the second greatest topographic prominence in the state (7076') after Cloud Peak (7077'), and is the highest ground for 290.36 miles in any direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont Peak (Wyoming)</span> Mountain in the state of Wyoming

Fremont Peak is the third highest peak in the state of Wyoming, surpassed only by Gannett Peak and Grand Teton, and straddles the boundary between Fremont and Sublette counties in the Wind River Range. It is named for American explorer John C. Fremont who climbed the peak with Charles Preuss and Johnny Janisse from August 13 to August 15, 1842. Kit Carson had been with the climbing party on its first attempt at the peak, but had gone back for supplies the day Fremont and his men reached the summit. Carson is thought by some to have been the first to climb neighboring Jackson Peak. At that time, Fremont Peak was mistakenly thought to be the highest mountain in the Rocky Mountains, although there are actually over 100 higher peaks in the Rocky Mountain range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Warren</span> Mountain in the state of Wyoming

Mount Warren is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is the third peak in the range and the fourth tallest in Wyoming. The summit is located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest and rises above several glaciers, the best known being Dinwoody Glacier which is immediately north of the summit tower. The mountain abuts, but is not within, either Bridger National Forest or Sublette County, Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Helen (Wyoming)</span> Mountain in the American state of Wyoming

Mount Helen is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is the fourth highest peak in the range and the fifth tallest in Wyoming. The summit is located in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, immediately west of the Continental Divide. The eastern flanks of the mountain are covered in snowfields and glaciers, including Helen and Sacagawea Glaciers, all of which are in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Woodrow Wilson</span> Mountain in the state of Wyoming

Mount Woodrow Wilson is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Mount Woodrow Wilson is the eighth-highest mountain in the range and the ninth-highest in Wyoming. The summit is located in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest on the Continental Divide, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) south of Gannett Peak. The flanks of the mountain are covered in snowfields and glaciers, including Dinwoody Glacier to the northeast, Mammoth Glacier to the west and Sphinx Glacier to the south.

Bastion Peak, at 13,500 feet (4,100 m), is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is the ninth-highest in the range and the tenth-highest in Wyoming. The summit is located on the Continental Divide and the eastern slopes of the mountain are covered by a section of Gannett Glacier, the largest glacier in the American Rocky Mountains. An arête to the northeast leads to Bastion Peak-Northeast Peak, which, at 13,476 ft (4,107 m), is also one of the highest points in Wyoming.

Sunbeam Peak is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is the 13th highest summit in Wyoming. The summit is located in Shoshone National Forest and the Heap Steep Glacier lies on the north slopes of the mountain.

South Downs Mountain is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Downs Mountain is the 27th highest peak in Wyoming. The summit is on the Continental Divide in both Shoshone and Bridger-Teton National Forests and it is 1.85 mi (2.98 km) south-southwest of Downs Mountain.

Mount Koven is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Mount Koven is the 16th highest peak in Wyoming. The summit is on the Continental Divide in both Shoshone and Bridger-Teton National Forests and it is .75 mi (1.21 km) north-northwest of Gannett Peak. The Gannett Glacier flanks the peak to the east, while Minor Glacier is just southwest of the mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Peaks (Wyoming)</span>

Twin Peaks is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Twin Peaks is the 20th highest peak in Wyoming. Twin Peaks is in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest and is .58 mi (0.93 km) southwest of Mount Woodrow Wilson and about the same distance southeast of Split Mountain. Mammoth Glacier flows from the north slopes of the peak while the smaller Twins Glacier flows to the southeast.

Bastion Peak-Northeast Peak 13,476 ft (4,107 m) is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is one of the highest in Wyoming, and is connected to its taller neighbor Bastion Peak by an arête to the southwest. An unnamed glacier lies below the precipitous east flank of the mountain, while Gannett Glacier is to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squaretop Mountain</span> Mountain in the American state of Wyoming

Squaretop Mountain is an 11,695-foot-elevation (3,565-meter) mountain summit located in Sublette County of Wyoming, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Rock (Wyoming)</span> Cliff in the American state of Wyoming

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haystack Mountain (Wyoming)</span> Mountain peak in Wyoming, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schiestler Peak</span> Mountain in the country of Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeple Peak</span> Mountain in the country of Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider Peak</span> Mountain in the American state of Wyoming

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lester</span> Mountain of Sublette County, Wyoming

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ladd Peak - 12,967' WY". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ladd Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  3. 1 2 "Ladd Peak, Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Joe Kelsey, Climbing and Hiking in the Wind River Mountains, Rowman & Littlefield (2013), ISBN   9781493001354, p. 164, 421.
  5. ↑ Appalachia Volume 19, Appalachian Mountain Club (1932), p. 368.
  6. ↑ William Sargent Ladd, 1887-1949, American Alpine Journal (1950), americanalpineclub.org
  7. ↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN   1027-5606.
  8. ↑ Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country". WindRiver.org . Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  9. ↑ Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  10. ↑ Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake". American Alpine Club . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  11. ↑ MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader". Climbing . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  12. ↑ Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental". Casper Star-Tribune . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  13. ↑ Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation". WyoFile News. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  14. ↑ Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing". Mountain Project . Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  15. ↑ Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  16. ↑ Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search". WildernessDoc.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
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