Open this book and embark on a trail toward one of Greater Yellowstone's most spectacular peaks. This book acquaints the uninitiated and dazzles the veteran with a treatise on mountain climbing and skiing in one of Earth's most unique and spectacular regions. Winner 2005 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association Regional Reference Award. When most of us think about Yellowstone, we yearn for this sublime land of geysers, forests, meadows, waterfalls, and wildlife set in America's first National Park. However, there is an even greater Yellowstone defined by an enormous ring of mountains surrounding the Park and comprising portions of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. This alpine envelope includes mountain ranges such as the Madison, Beartooth, Teton, Wind River, and Absaroka. The introduction to Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone illuminates how to behave around moose and bears, and presents the geologic marvels of Teton bedrock, Gros Ventre limestone, and Absaroka volcanics. Find out what drove trappers and explorers like Osborne Russell, Ferdinand Hayden, and Thomas Bannon to the icy summits. Delve into the details of controversial first ascents by Captain Bonneville, John C. Frémont, Nathaniel Langford, and James Stevenson. And hear the adventures of early recreational mountaineers like William Owen, Elers Koch, Paul Petzoldt, and Kenneth Henderson. The chapters that follow cover Greater Yellowstone's thirteen primary mountain ranges and feature 107 of the highest, most beautiful, and most interesting peaks. Of course, this list includes the famous Gannett Peak, Grand Teton, and Granite Peak, but also it introduces many other mountains with outstanding attributes. Studies of each peak illustrate outstanding physical attributes, place-name history, exciting stories from early climbers and skiers, ascent statistics, and guidebook-style information for mountaineers of all abilities. This aggregation of ranges and peaks reveals the great diversity of Greater Yellowstone's mountains, and the accompanying stories of human adventure serve to inspire us all. A masterpiece. One of the great books ever written about Greater Yellowstone! I can't say enough good things. --Ralph Maughan, Pocatello, ID What a fine book. A gift to the community that will sharpen discourse and inspire lots of trips. --Jack Turner, Jackson, WY Ultimate armchair reading for a mountaineer, ultimate inspiration, ultimate trip planning--simply ULTIMATE! --Lou Dawson, Carbondale, CO Open this book and embark on a trail toward one of Greater Yellowstone s most spectacular peaks. As the trail climbs a steep fault scarp, a guttural rumble and the smell of sulfur emanate from a nearby spring providing an inkling of the sometimes fierce mechanisms that shape the landscape just a short distance underground. You ponder your options should an earthquake shake loose a steep canyon outcrop or God forbid should the Yellowstone caldera erupt again. Leaving the trail, thick brush and loose rock underscore your vulnerability. Even while thrashing, you hear a large animal exhaling and sticks cracking in the thicket. Senses sharpened, you scan the periphery and assume your place in the food chain. At tree line, a cold wind penetrates your sweaty undergarments and you envy the faculties of native people who once thrived on this harsh land. Sensing approval from their spirits, license is yours to continue into the alpine zone. Centuries-old stories about man and mountains replay at the first touch of your skin to the cold rock. Lungs and muscles throbbing, you reach the summit and peer across the landscape at other interesting mountains. Rapturous ruminations resonate from those who stood there before. You descend through rock slides, snowfields, and verdant meadows anxious to turn the page and plan your next adventure. Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone acquaints the uninitiated and dazzles the veteran with a treatise on mountain climbing and skiing in one of Earth s most unique and spectacular regions. In the introduction, learn how to behave around moose and bears, and discover the geologic marvels of Teton bedrock, Gros Ventre limestone, and Absaroka volcanics. Find out what drove trappers and explorers like Osborne Russell, Ferdinand Hayden, and Thomas Bannon to the icy summits. Delve into the details of controversial first ascents by Captain Bonneville, John C. Frémont, Nathaniel Langford, and James Stevenson. And hear the adventures of early recreational mountaineers like William Owen, Elers Koch, Paul Petzoldt, and Kenneth Henderson. The chapters that follow cover Greater Yellowstone s thirteen primary mountain ranges and feature 107 of the region s highest, most beautiful, and most interesting peaks. Studies of each peak illustrate outstanding physical attributes, place-name history, exciting stories from early climbers and skiers, and guidebook-style information for energetic readers who aspire to reach summits. This aggregation of ranges and peaks