Category: Mountain Field Guide

Kunyang Chhish

Khunyang Chhish (Kunyang Chhish, کنیانگ چش‎) Kunyang Chhish is one of the great high mountains of Pakistan’s Karakoram, rising to 7,852 meters (25,761 feet) in the remote Hispar Muztagh of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is generally ranked as the 21st-highest mountain in the world and is the second-highest major summit of the Hispar Muztagh after Distaghil Sar. …

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Breithorn (Lauterbrunnen)

Breithorn Breithorn is a prominent 3,780-meter (12,402-foot) mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. Rising high above the upper Lauterbrunnen Valley, it forms part of the rugged alpine divide between the cantons of Bern and Valais and separates the Lauterbrunnental on its northern side from the Lötschental to the south. The mountain is often called …

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Mittaghorn

Mittaghorn (Tachaigne) Mittaghorn is a 3,892-meter (12,769-foot) mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, rising on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais. It stands near the head of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and above the Lötschental, surrounded by an impressive landscape of high glaciers, sharp ridges and neighboring peaks approaching or exceeding 4,000 …

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Plant Life of the Rocky Mountains

Trees, Wildflowers, & Lichens While the Rocky Mountains are known for their sharp spires and snowy crowns, it would be incorrect to say that the spirit of the place is only that: rocks, heights, and perspective. After all, anyone strolling along a mountain path is going to spend about half the time looking down, at …

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Grandmother Mountain: The Blue Ridge’s Bouldering Paradise

The weekend was coming and I was looking for a good place to do some bouldering. After asking around, Grandmother Mountain was the name that came up the most in conversations. As I searched for directions, my climbing shoes winked at me from across the room. It was bound to be a great adventure. Like …

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Virtual Guidebook: A Walk Through the Canadian Rockies

The North American Rocky mountains by begin as far south as mid-New Mexico, but their northernmost point is a full 3,000 miles away, nestled inside an ecosystem that looks absolutely nothing like its southern counterpart. This should serve as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with that great collection of mountains … a family …

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Iztaccíhuatl: The Peak of Mexican Ecstasy & Heartbreak

Standing proudly at 17,160 feet (5,230 m), Iztaccíhuatl boasts the third highest peak in Mexico. Like some of the largest mountains in Mexico, such as Popocatépetl and La Malinche, Iztaccíhuatl is a volcano (now extinct) in the center of the country. It is one of the few remaining mountains in Mexico to have a peak …

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Hiking the Volcanoes of Iceland

The blackout curtains in the hotel room did their job, and when I pulled back the shade around 10pm, a solid brick of bright sunlight pierced the pane of thick glass. After a long day of traveling, my body, refreshed by a quick nap after check-in, wanted to move. Luckily, I was in Iceland in …

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The New Mexico Rocky Mountains

Anytime someone mentions the Rocky Mountains, it is hard to not become immediately inundated with visions of majestic mountain peaks, covered with snow, looming above the world at such heights that it would be inappropriate to compare them to anything but heaven. And yet, there is a stretch of the Southern Rocky Mountains that refuse …

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Mount Mansfield and the Persistence of the Spirit

Vermont is a mountainous state. The mountain that best represents the pinnacle of the Green Mountain State is Mount Mansfield, located in Chittenden and Lamoille counties. Mount Mansfield gets its name from its resemblance to a man, complete with facial features and even an Adam’s apple. Popular among locals and tourists alike, Mount Mansfield offers …

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