SummitPost.org

It seems strange that folks would rather rename a peak rather than find a new one to honor someone. I recently ran across one in the Southern Sierra that Jenkins said has been known locally as Harley Mountain. 100 years ago this guy named Harley got in a bar fight in Kernville and fled to the mountains thinking he was in big trouble. He discovered gold atop the peak and spent years working his claim, hired the guy who designed SF's cable car system to build a tramway, and when the cable broke after a few years, killing a couple of workers, he relinquished his claim on the mountain. Colorful story. Then in 2011 after a local campaign, the BGN agrees to name the peak after Bob Powers, local cowboy, turned historian, 5th generation in Kernville. What local historian would think that's ok? I'm imagining him turning over in his grave...

boyblue wrote:there are so many other un-named peaks in that part of Yosemite that are surely 'name-worthy' (and she certainly deserves a peak if anyone does).

A very good point. The American West has more unnamed peaks than named ones, so why rename a peak unless there is a good reason to discredit the old name and a special connection between the peak and the new honoree at the same time?

There was a proposal not long ago to rename North Palisade for David Brower. With so many fine unnamed peaks around, why the need to change a peak with an established name?

Political fog enshrouds renaming of Yosemite peak
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/14/623763 ... aming.html

Interesting tidbits from the article:

"In 2008, Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California introduced legislation to rename Yosemite’s 14,242-foot North Palisade Peak after the late environmentalist and mountaineer David Brower."

The park's SE boundary has apparently been expanded by more than 50 miles.

"Over National Park Service objections, a House panel on Thursday approved a bill to redesignate the current 12,117-foot Mammoth Peak as Mount Jessie Benton Fremont. The prominent peak, near Kuna Lake, is Yosemite’s sixth highest."

By at least one measure, it ranks #23, but by no measure can I imagine it as #6. Personally I hope the bill fails. I'm with the Park Service on this one.

Park officials oppose plan to rename Yosemite peak
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/c ... emite-peak

"Political fog" is an understatement. Curiously, none of these newspaper articles say anything specific about who picked out Mammoth Peak for renaming and why. I guess we can surmise the why, it's a prominent peak from the highway and not named after a person, who's family might object. Other peaks also fall into that category, however. Ironically, from my long mountaineering career, I have 10 pictures framed on the wall of my cabin in Tahoe, one of which is Mammoth Peak. I really don't want to have to change the nameplate.
It is an attractive mountain.

This story turned up on the front page of my local newspaper, the Vacaville Reporter, this morning. Must be a slow news day.