North America, United States, Alaska, Talkeetna Mountains

Publication Year: 1970.

Talkeetna Mountains. In March my husband Vin and I left the Glenn Highway at Mile 123 near Tahneta Lake. We motormushed and skijored north up Crooked Creek into South Creek, above which we made the first ascent of Table Mountain. A few weeks later we again ascended Crooked Creek, this time to Albert Creek. Turned back by deep snow on Belanger Pass, we returned to South Creek, crossed South Lake and went up to a pass that led into the Albert Creek watershed. We skied to Alfred Creek, ascended a north fork of it and made the first ascent of the highest Horn Mountain, “Big Horn” (6418 feet). This shows how far one can go in a single day with snowmobiles, but these vehicles must be used judiciously. In June C. McLaughlin and R. Spurr made the first ascent of P 5530, 1¼ miles north of Fern Mine. McLaughlin and W. Gehman attempted P 6693, one of the “Three Bell Spires”, west of the Mint Glacier. Cloud and wet rock prevented their climbing the main peak, but they did reach the top of one of the lower spires (6550 feet), south of the highest spire (F7). A few weeks later McLaughlin soloed “Trouble Mint Spire” (6850 feet), southeast of Mint Glacier. He climbed the southwest face of this peak, one of many fine granite spires in the region. F. Cady, C. Patterson, D. Albert and K. Hammond in August made the first ascent of P 6875, which lies 2½ miles north of Anthracite Ridge.

Grace Hoeman