Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone: A Mountaineering History & Guide

Open this book and embark on a trail toward one of Greater Yellowstone's most spectacular peaks. This book acquaints the uninitiated and dazzles the veteran with a treatise on mountain climbing and skiing in one of Earth's most unique and spectacular regions. Winner 2005 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association Regional Reference Award. When most of us think about Yellowstone, we yearn for this sublime land of geysers, forests, meadows, waterfalls, and wildlife set in America's first National Park. However, there is an even greater Yellowstone defined by an enormous ring of mountains surrounding the Park and comprising portions of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. This alpine envelope includes mountain ranges such as the Madison, Beartooth, Teton, Wind River, and Absaroka. The introduction to Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone illuminates how to behave around moose and bears, and presents the geologic marvels of Teton bedrock, Gros Ventre limestone, and Absaroka volcanics. Find out what drove trappers and explorers like Osborne Russell, Ferdinand Hayden, and Thomas Bannon to the icy summits. Delve into the details of controversial first ascents by Captain Bonneville, John C. Frémont, Nathaniel Langford, and James Stevenson. And hear the adventures of early recreational mountaineers like William Owen, Elers Koch, Paul Petzoldt, and Kenneth Henderson. The chapters that follow cover Greater Yellowstone's thirteen primary mountain ranges and feature 107 of the highest, most beautiful, and most interesting peaks. Of course, this list includes the famous Gannett Peak, Grand Teton, and Granite Peak, but also it introduces many other mountains with outstanding attributes. Studies of each peak illustrate outstanding physical attributes, place-name history, exciting stories from early climbers and skiers, ascent statistics, and guidebook-style information for mountaineers of all abilities. This aggregation of ranges and peaks reveals the great diversity of Greater Yellowstone's mountains, and the accompanying stories of human adventure serve to inspire us all.