Mount Drysdale is a 2,932-metre (9,619-foot) mountain summit located on the western border of Kootenay National Park in the Vermilion Range, which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Rockwall Peak, 1.0 km (0.62 mi) to the west.[1] The mountain is part of what is known as the Rockwall which is an escarpment of the Vermilion Range. The Rockwall Trail is a scenic 55 kilometre (34 mile) traverse of alpine passes, subalpine meadows, hanging glaciers, and limestone cliffs, in some places in excess of 900 m (2,950 ft) above the trail.[4]

Mount Drysdale
Mount Drysdale (left of center) with the Rockwall (right) as seen from Rockwall Pass
Highest point
Elevation	2,932 m (9,619 ft)[1]
Prominence	162 m (531 ft)[1]
Parent peak	Rockwall Peak (2979  m)[1]
Listing	Mountains of British Columbia
Coordinates	51°09′00″N 116°16′22″W[2]
Geography
Mount Drysdale Location of Mount Drysdale in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Mount Drysdale Mount Drysdale (Canada) Show map of Canada
Location	Kootenay National Park British Columbia, Canada
District	Kootenay Land District
Parent range	Vermilion Range Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82N1 Mount Goodsir[2]
Geology
Age of rock	Cambrian[3]
Type of rock	Ottertail Limestone[3]
Climbing
First ascent	John Peck, Dornacilla Peck, (Dornacilla Drysdale), and Dr. Morley Tuttle[1]

History

The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada to honor Charles Wales Drysdale (1885-1917), a member of the Geological Survey of Canada who drowned in the Kootenay River on July 10, 1917, along with his assistant William Gray when their raft capsized and both were swept away while working on a field survey.[2] [5] [6] Mount Drysdale and Mount Gray form the buttresses on either side of Wolverine Pass.

The first ascent of Mount Drysdale was made by John Peck, Dr. Morley Tuttle and Dornacilla Peck (Dornacilla Drysdale), who was Drysdale's eldest daughter.[1]

Geology

Mount Drysdale is composed of Ottertail limestone, a sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[7]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Drysdale is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[8] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east into tributaries of the Vermilion River, or west into tributaries of the Beaverfoot River.

References

External links

• Mount Drysdale weather forecast
• Parks Canada web site: Kootenay National Park