Arrigetch Peaks

The Arrigetch Peaks are a cluster of rugged granite spires in the Endicott Mountains of the central Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The name Arrigetch means 'fingers of the outstretched hand' in the Inupiat language. The peaks ring the glacial cirques at the head of the Kobuk River and 2 tributaries of the Alatna River: Arrigetch Creek and Aiyagomahala Creek (Creek 4662). They are located at latitude 67 degrees 24' N and longitude 154 degrees 10' W. All of the summits of the peaks are around 6,000 ft, 1825 m elevation. The Arrigetch Peaks area was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968 for its spectacular geography.[1]

Arrigetch Peaks
Highest point
Elevation2,192 m (7,192 ft) 
Dimensions
Area103.42 km2 (39.93 sq mi)
Geography
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
Range coordinates67°25′N 154°11′W
Arrigetch Peaks National Natural Landmark
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Established1968

The earliest recorded Geological Survey of the area was in 1911 by Philip S. Smith and H.M. Eakin. The renowned conservationist Robert Marshall explored the area in the 1930s.[2][3][4] These trips were described in Marshall's 1933 book Arctic Village, and posthumous Alaska Wilderness: Exploring the Central Brooks Range. An American climbing party led by Brownell Bergen completed the first successful rock climbing expedition to the peaks in 1964.[5] The peaks have been visited by a number of rock climbing expeditions since then.

References
  1. "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  2. Marshall, Robert (1956). Marshall, George (ed.). Arctic Wilderness. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 82–99.
  3. "Government Geologists Cross Central Brooks Range". Gates of the Arctic. National Park Service. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  4. Smith, Philip; Mertie, J.B. "Geology and Mineral Resources of Northwestern Alaska, USGS Bulletin 815". USGS. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  5. http://www.nps.gov/gaar/naturescience/upload/arrigetch%20final%20report%20compressed.pdf

Further reading
  • Marshall, Robert. Alaska Wilderness: Exploring the Central Brooks Range. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1956. ISBN 0-520-01711-0
  • Marshall, Robert. Arctic Wilderness. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1933.
  • Wood, Michael and Colby Coombs. Alaska: A Climbing Guide. Seattle: The Mountaineers. 2001. ISBN 0-89886-724-X
  • List of rock climbing routes in the Arrigetch Peaks Retrieved on 2008-3-1


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