Picture Puzzle

Picture Puzzle
South aspect, from Bishop Pass
Highest point
Elevation13,286+ ft (4050+ m)[1]
Prominence600 ft (183 m)[1]
Parent peakCloudripper (13,525 ft)[2]
Isolation1.12 mi (1.80 km)[2]
Coordinates37°07′40″N 118°32′20″W / 37.1279154°N 118.5388440°W / 37.1279154; -118.5388440[3]
Geography
Picture Puzzle is located in California
Picture Puzzle
Picture Puzzle
Location in California
Picture Puzzle is located in the United States
Picture Puzzle
Picture Puzzle
Picture Puzzle (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyInyo
Protected areaJohn Muir Wilderness
Parent rangeSierra Nevada
Inconsolable Range[1]
Topo mapUSGS Mount Thompson
Geology
Rock ageCretaceous
Rock typeInconsolable Quartz Monzodiorite[4]
Climbing
First ascent1937 by Norman Clyde[5]
Easiest routeExposed scramble, class 3[5]

Picture Puzzle, also known as Picture Puzzle Peak, is a 13,297-foot-elevation (4,053 meter) mountain summit located one mile east of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Inyo County of northern California, United States.[3] [6] It is situated in the Palisades area of the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Inyo National Forest. It is approximately 14.5 miles (23.3 km) west of the community of Big Pine, one mile north of Bishop Pass, 0.8 miles (1.3 km) northwest of Aperture Peak, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) north-northwest of Mount Agassiz, and 1.1 miles (1.8 km) south-southwest of parent Cloudripper. Picture Puzzle ranks as the 90th-highest summit in California,[2] and the third-highest peak of the Inconsolable Range.[1]

Climbing

Established climbing routes on Picture Puzzle:[5]

  • Northeast Couloir – class 3
  • North Slope – class 3
  • West Face – class 4

The first ascent of the summit was made June 15, 1937, by Norman Clyde, who is credited with 130 first ascents, most of which were in the Sierra Nevada.[7][5]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Picture Puzzle is located in an alpine climate zone.[8] 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 east into headwaters of North Fork Big Pine Creek, and west into headwaters of South Fork Bishop Creek.

  • South aspect
    South aspect
  • Picture Puzzle by Ansel Adams ca. 1936
    Picture Puzzle by Ansel Adams ca. 1936
  • Picture Puzzle (left) and Aperture Peak (right)
    Picture Puzzle (left) and Aperture Peak (right)
  • Picture Puzzle from northwest
    Picture Puzzle from northwest

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Picture Puzzle Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  2. ^ a b c "Picture Puzzle CA". ListsOfJohn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  3. ^ a b "Picture Puzzle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  4. ^ Stratotype Inventory—Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California, nps.gov
  5. ^ a b c d Secor, R.J. (2009). The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, and Trails (3rd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers. p. 203. ISBN 978-0898869712.
  6. ^ Steve Roper, The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra, 1976, Sierra Club Books, ISBN 9780871561473, page 195.
  7. ^ "Norman Clyde - Mountaineer". OwensValleyHistory.com.
  8. ^ 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.