Mount Lucania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Lucania |
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Mount Steele (center), with Mount Lucania just left of it and behind it
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,240+ m (17,192+ ft) |
| Prominence | 3,040 m (9,970 ft) |
| Listing |
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| Geography | |
 Mount Lucania
Location in Canada
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| Location | Yukon, Canada |
| Parent range | Saint Elias Mountains |
| Topo map | NTS 115F/01 |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1937 by Bradford Washburn and Robert Hicks Bates |
| Easiest route | Glacier, snow and ice climb |
Mount Lucania is a very tall mountain in Canada. It is the third-highest mountain in the country. It is also the second-highest mountain that is completely inside Canada. The very top of Mount Saint Elias, which is Canada's second-highest peak, is shared with the United States.
Mount Lucania is connected to Mount Steele by a long ridge. Mount Steele is about 5,073 meters (16,644 feet) tall. It is the fifth-highest mountain in Canada.
The mountain got its name from the Duke of Abruzzi. He named it on July 31, 1897. He was standing on the top of Mount Saint Elias after climbing it for the first time. He saw Mount Lucania far away, past Mount Logan. He named it after the ship his team sailed on. This ship, the RMS Lucania, took them from Liverpool to New York.
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First Climb of Mount Lucania
The first time anyone climbed Mount Lucania was in 1937. Two climbers, Bradford Washburn and Robert Hicks Bates, made this historic climb. They did something new for mountaineering at that time. They used an airplane to get to the starting point.
Flying to the Glacier
They flew to Walsh Glacier, which is 2,670 meters (8,760 feet) above sea level. This was a very new idea for climbing mountains. Washburn asked Bob Reeve, a famous Alaskan bush pilot, for help. Bob Reeve was known for flying planes into remote areas. He sent a message back to Washburn saying, "Anywhere you'll ride, I'll fly."
Unexpected Trouble
Bob Reeve's ski-equipped Fairchild F-51 airplane made several trips. It landed safely on the glacier in May. But in June, when Washburn and Bates were on board, the plane sank. It got stuck in soft, slushy snow that was unusual for that time of year.
Getting the Plane Free
Washburn, Bates, and Reeve worked very hard for five days. They tried to get the airplane out of the slush. Finally, Reeve was able to get the plane to fly again. He had to remove extra weight from the plane. He also used a smooth, steep icefall to help the plane take off.
The Epic Journey to Safety
After the plane took off, Washburn and Bates continued their climb on foot. They successfully reached the top of Mount Lucania. Their journey back to civilization was very long and difficult. They hiked over 150 miles (240 kilometers) through the wilderness. They finally reached safety in a small town called Burwash Landing in the Yukon.
Second Climb of Mount Lucania
The second time Mount Lucania was climbed was in 1967. The climbers were Jerry Halpern, Mike Humphreys, Gary Lukis, and Gerry Roach.
Literature
You can read more about this mountain in a book. It is called Escape from Lucania: An Epic Story of Survival. It was written by David Roberts in 2002.
See also
In Spanish: Monte Lucania para niños
