Recess Peak is a 12,813-foot-elevation (3,905 meter) mountain summit located west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Fresno County of northern California, United States.[3] It is situated on Mono Divide in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Sierra National Forest, and approximately six miles east of Lake Thomas A Edison. The nearest higher neighbor is Mount Hilgard, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) to the southeast.[1] The John Muir Trail follows Bear Creek below the western slope of this remote peak. The summit is surrounded by arêtes and cirques, which were formed by glaciers in the past, most recently ending 13,000 years ago in the late Pleistocene.[4]

Recess Peak
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation12,813 ft (3,905 m)[1]
Prominence813 ft (248 m)[1]
Parent peakMount Hilgard (13,361 ft)[2]
Isolation2.19 mi (3.52 km)[2]
ListingSierra Peaks Section
Coordinates37°22′57″N 118°51′20″W / 37.3824202°N 118.8554522°W / 37.3824202; -118.8554522[3]
Geography
Recess Peak is located in California
Recess Peak
Recess Peak
Location in California
Recess Peak is located in the United States
Recess Peak
Recess Peak
Recess Peak (the United States)
LocationFresno County
California, U.S.
Parent rangeSierra Nevada[1]
Topo mapUSGS Mount Abbot
Geology
Rock typegranitic
Climbing
First ascent< 1937
Easiest routeclass 3[2]

History

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This mountain is so named because of its proximity to the First Recess of Mono Creek. Theodore S. Solomons discovered and named the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Recesses in 1894.[5] The first ascent of the summit was made prior to 1937 by persons unknown.[6]

Climate

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According to the Köppen climate classification system, Recess Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[7] 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 San Joaquin River watershed.

Climbing

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Established climbing routes on Recess Peak:[6][8]

  • Northeast arête – class 3
  • Southeast arête – class 3
  • Southwest arête – class 3

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Recess Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  2. ^ a b c "Recess Peak - 12,813' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  3. ^ a b "Recess Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  4. ^ Bill Guyton, Glaciers of California, University of California Press, 1998, ISBN 9780520926189, page 109.
  5. ^ Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
  6. ^ a b Hervey Voge, James W. Koontz, II, and George Bloom, Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Steve Roper, The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra, 1976, Sierra Club Books, ISBN 9780871561473, page 136.
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