Hurd Peak

Hurd Peak is a 12,237-foot-elevation (3,730-meter) mountain summit located one mile east of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Inyo County of northern California, United States.^[3] Surrounded by lakes, it is situated in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Inyo National Forest. It is approximately 16 miles (26 km) west of the community of Big Pine, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Picture Puzzle, and 1.23 miles (1.98 km) north of parent Mount Goode. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises nearly 2,500 feet (760 meters) above South Lake in approximately one mile.

Hurd Peak
North aspect, from South Lake
Highest point
Elevation	12,237 ft (3,730 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	477 ft (145 m)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Goode (13,085 ft)[2]
Isolation	1.23 mi (1.98 km)[2]
Coordinates	37°08′27″N 118°33′58″W[3]
Naming
Etymology	H.C. Hurd[4]
Geography
Hurd Peak Location in California Show map of California Hurd Peak Hurd Peak (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Inyo
Protected area	John Muir Wilderness
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Mount Thompson
Climbing
First ascent	1906 by H.C. Hurd[4]
Easiest route	Exposed scramble, class 3[4]

Etymology

This mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1920 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names based on a recommendation by the Sierra Club.^[3] It honors the memory of Hurd Clarence Hurd (April 16, 1870 – July 8, 1914), who made the first ascent in 1906 while connected with development work in the vicinity.^[5] H. C. Hurd was a civil engineer who received his degree from Princeton University in 1893. He was elected as a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1913, but the following year met an untimely death by accidental drowning in Chesapeake Bay.^[6]

Climbing

Established climbing routes on Hurd Peak:^[7]

• West Face via Treasure Lakes – class 3
• East Face – class 3
• South Ridge – class 4
• Northeast Arete – class 5.5
• North Ridge – class 5.7

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Hurd Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.^[8] 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into the South Fork of Bishop Creek.

Gallery

• 
  Southeast aspect
• 
  Southeast aspect, with Spearhead Lake and Long Lake
• 
  Hurd Peak (left) from South Lake
• 
  North aspect, with Mt. Goode to left
• 
  Northwest aspect, from Lake 10668 of Treasure Lakes
• 
  Southeast aspect, with Saddlerock Lake
• 

References

1. "Hurd Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
2. "Hurd Peak". ListsOfJohn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
3. "Hurd Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
4. Secor, R.J. (1992). The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, and Trails (1st ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers. p. 223. ISBN 978-0898863130.
5. Alan M. Hedden and David R. Brower, A Climber's Guide to the High Sierra (1954)
6. Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1915, page 1433.
7. Hurd Peak, Mountainproject.com
8. 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.

External links

• Mountains portal

• Weather forecast: Hurd Peak
• Hurd Peak Rock Climbing: Mountainproject.com