Gale Peak

Gale Peak is a 10,690-foot-elevation (3,258 meter) mountain summit located in Madera County, California, United States. It is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the southeast corner of Yosemite National Park, on the common boundary which the park shares with the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The mountain rises 1.3 miles (2.1 km) south of Fernandez Pass, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of the Clark Range, and 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north-northwest of Madera Peak. Precipitation runoff from this landform drains west into tributaries of the South Fork Merced River, and east into tributaries of the San Joaquin River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,400 feet (430 meters) above Upper Chain Lake in 0.38 miles (0.61 km). The peak can be climbed via the class 2 northwest ridge which separates Breeze Lake from the Chain Lakes.[1]

Gale Peak
West aspect, above Chain Lakes
Highest point
Elevation10,690 ft (3,258 m)[1]
Prominence600 ft (183 m)[2]
Isolation3.73 mi (6.00 km)[3]
Coordinates37°34′05″N 119°23′13″W[4]
Naming
EtymologyGeorge H. G. Gale
Geography
Gale Peak is located in California
Gale Peak
Gale Peak
Location in California
Gale Peak is located in the United States
Gale Peak
Gale Peak
Gale Peak (the United States)
LocationYosemite National Park
Madera County, California, U.S.
Parent rangeSierra Nevada
Topo mapUSGS Sing Peak
Geology
Age of rockCretaceous
Mountain typeFault block
Type of rockGranodiorite
Climbing
First ascent1920
Easiest routeclass 2[3]

History

This geographical feature was named in 1894 by Lieutenant Nathaniel Fish McClure who prepared a map of Yosemite National Park for use by Army troops.[5] The toponym honors Captain George Henry Goodwin Gale (1858–1920), 4th Cavalry US Army, and the acting military superintendent of Yosemite Park in 1894.[6] The US Army had jurisdiction over Yosemite National Park from 1891 to 1914, and each summer 150 cavalrymen traveled from the Presidio of San Francisco to patrol the park. This geographical feature's toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[4]

The first ascent of the summit was made in 1920 by Lawrence Fley, Freeman Jones, and Thomas Jones.[1]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Gale Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[7] 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.

  • North aspect of Gale Peak from Breeze Lake
    North aspect of Gale Peak from Breeze Lake
  • East aspect of Gale Peak seen from Lillian Lake
    East aspect of Gale Peak seen from Lillian Lake
  • East aspect of Gale Peak from Lillian Lake
    East aspect of Gale Peak from Lillian Lake

See also

References
  1. Richard M. Leonard, Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)
  2. "Gale Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  3. "Gale Peak - 10,700' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  4. "Gale Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  5. Erwin Gustav Gudde, William Bright, California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, 1998, University of California Press, ISBN 9780520213166, page 140.
  6. Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
  7. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
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