No higher U.S. peaks east of Harney?

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    • #7662
      highpointersclub
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      [Ed: Imported from Americas Roof ‘Summit Trip Reports’ forum]
      [By: Tim Townsend on January 13 2004 at 12:06 AM]

      Roger’s ND trip report notes there’s a sign at Harney indicating it’s the highest peak until you reach the Pyrenees. The Black Hills sure are a prominent range on a relief map. I recall being awed by similar claims about the Black Hills being the highest mountains east of the Rockies ever since our family did a Chevy Chase-style station wagon pilgrimage to Rushmore in the 1960’s and me and my brothers tried squinting to see Chicago across the plains.

      Roger notes the ‘Harney is Highest’ claim isn’t really true, as Pico Duarte in the Dominican Republic is higher and farther east than Harney.

      Even within the U.S., however, there appear to be five peaks in the Big Bend area of Texas that are several hundred feet higher and about 10 miles east of Harney.

      The Texas peaks are probably considered part of the Rockies. I guess that really means Harney shouldn’t be considered the highest point in the U.S. east of the Rockies, since the Rockies seem to curve farther east than the Black Hills.

      Of course, this opens up a can of worms about what really is the highest U.S. point east of the Rockies (or any other similar arbitrary reference). “East” of the Rockies, the easternmost U.S. point taller than Mt. Mitchell would seem to be on the spine of the Rockies themselves.

      One is conveniently named Townsend Point (7,580′). I won’t claim any family connection. This peak is likely named for “The Father of Big Bend” E.E. Townsend, buried near there in Dan Rather’s favorite little town of Alpine, TX.

      Crown Peak (7,010′) is lower than Townsend Point but farther east and yet it is still higher than Mt. Mitchell, so maybe its east flank has the strongest claim to being the highest U.S. point east of the Rockies.

    • #7663
      highpointersclub
      Participant

      Oops

      [Ed: Imported from Americas Roof ‘Summit Trip Reports’ forum]
      [By: Tim on January 13 2004 at 12:15 AM]

      I meant SD, not ND
    • #7664
      highpointersclub
      Participant

      Re: Crown Mountain

      [Ed: Imported from Americas Roof ‘Summit Trip Reports’ forum]
      [By: Daniel Smith on April 29 2004 at 5:18 PM]

      Tim,

      The Crown Mountain (N 29° 15′ 36″, W 103° 15′ 33″) that you’re referring to is 7,010′ high as you say. However! There is an unnamed point at about 7,140′ just to the east-southeast (N 29° 15′ 23″, W 103° 14′ 56″) that edges it out for the title of the easternmost peak in Texas over 7000′. It is also the eastenmost peak over 2000m (6,562′), making it the easternmost summit higher than Mt. Mitchell. Also note that Point 7,140′ has a prominence of 720′, whereas Crown Mountain only has a prominence of 470′. This peak is also tied for the 8th highest unnamed summit in Texas (following the “Colorado-Rule” which requires 300-ft of prominence to define a summit).

      Cheers!

      Dan

      (a.k.a. Guru-of-Useless-TX-Mountain-Knowledge)

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