Mount Helen (Wyoming)
Mountain in the American state of Wyoming
Mount Helen (13,620 feet (4,150 m)) is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming .[3] The peak is the fourth highest peak in the range[4] and the fifth tallest in Wyoming.[5] 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 .
Notable Ascents
1974 Northwest Ridge of the First Tower , NCCS III F8 A1, 11 pitches. FA by Dean Hannibal, Dennis Turville and Lynn Wheeler.[6]
Hazards
Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.[7] There are other concerns as well, including bugs , wildfires , adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures .[8]
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,[9] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader ),[10] 2015[11] and 2018.[12] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain [13] in 2005,[14] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall ) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue .[15] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.
References
^ a b "Mount Helen, Wyoming" . Peakbagger.com . Retrieved March 7, 2023 .
^ "Mount Helen" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey , United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved May 23, 2013 .
^ Gannett Peak, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved May 23, 2013 .
^ "Wind River Range" . Peakbagger.com . Retrieved May 23, 2013 .
^ "Wyoming 13,000-foot Peaks" . Peakbagger.com . Retrieved May 23, 2013 .
^ Hannibal, Dean (1975). "Mount Helen, Northwest Ridge of the First Tower". American Alpine Journal . 20 (49). New York: American Alpine Club: 138. ISBN 0-930410-72-6 .
^ Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country" . WindRiver.org . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide" . PineDaleOnline News . Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake" . American Alpine Club . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader" . Climbing . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental" . Casper Star-Tribune . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation" . WyoFile News . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing" . Mountain Project . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain" . PineDaleOnline News . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
^ Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search" . WildernessDoc.com . Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022 .
External links