Don Munday
Encyclopedia
Walter Alfred Don Munday (1890 – 1950) was a Canadian explorer, naturalist
and mountaineer
famous for his explorations of the Coast Mountains
with his wife Phyllis
, and especially for the exploration of the Waddington Range
.
Don Munday was born and educated in Portage la Prairie and moved to Vancouver with his family in 1909. In World War I
he served in France
with the 47th Battalion.
They married in February 1920, spending their honeymoon in a cabin on Dam Mountain near Vancouver. Their daughter, Edith was born in 1921, and at 11 weeks she was carried to the top of Crown Mountain
.
From 1923 to 1926 the Mundays lived in a tent, and then a cabin on Grouse Mountain
where Don worked cutting a trail from Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver
to the summit, while Phyllis ran the Alpine Lodge, serving hot drinks and meals to hikers.
, Vancouver Island
, Don and Phyllis Munday spotted what they believed to be a peak taller than Mount Robson
, the then accepted tallest peak entirely within British Columbia
. In the words of Don Munday
"The compass showed the alluring peak stood along a line passing a little east of Bute Inlet
and perhaps 150 miles away, where blank spaces on the map left ample room for many nameless mountains." While there is some debate as to weather the peak they saw was indeed Mount Waddington (in fact Don Munday himself observed that the feat is impossible, they almost certainly saw a peak in the Waddington Range
, and this led the Mundays to explore the area, and discover the mountain in fact.
Over the next decade, the Mundays mounted several expeditions into the area in an attempt to climb the mountain. Known to them as "The Mystery Mountain", in 1927 the height was measured at 13,260 feet (by triangulation), and the Canadian Geographic Board gave it the name Mount Waddington after Alfred Waddington
who was a proponent of a railway through the Homathko River
valley. They reached the lower northwest summit in 1928, deeming the main summit too risky.
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
famous for his explorations of the Coast Mountains
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
with his wife Phyllis
Phyllis Munday
Phyllis B Munday, CM was a Canadian mountaineer, explorer, naturalist and humanitarian, famed for being the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Robson in 1924, and with her husband Don for discovering Mount Waddington, and exploring the area around it via the Franklin River and the Homathko...
, and especially for the exploration of the Waddington Range
Waddington Range
The Waddington Range is a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is only about 4000 km² in area, relatively small in area within the expanse of the range, but it is the highest area of the Pacific Ranges and of the Coast Mountains, being...
.
Don Munday was born and educated in Portage la Prairie and moved to Vancouver with his family in 1909. In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with the 47th Battalion.
Meeting Phyllis
Don met Phyllis in 1918. While on a mountaineering trip an incident occurred which, in Don's words, "lends itself readily to being given a romantic aspect." Don lost his footing on a glacial moraine, and was in danger of slipping into a crevasse. Phyllis jumped to help him restore his balance, and in so doing lost hers. Don managed to grab and steady her until she could regain her feet.They married in February 1920, spending their honeymoon in a cabin on Dam Mountain near Vancouver. Their daughter, Edith was born in 1921, and at 11 weeks she was carried to the top of Crown Mountain
Crown Mountain
Crown Mountain may refer to:*A mountain summit in Canada:**Crown Mountain, one of the North Shore Mountains in British Columbia.**Crown Mountain in Strathcona Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia....
.
From 1923 to 1926 the Mundays lived in a tent, and then a cabin on Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Exceeding 1,200 m in altitude at its peak, is the site of an alpine ski area in the winter season overlooking Greater Vancouver with four chairlifts facilitating 26 runs...
where Don worked cutting a trail from Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver
North Vancouver, British Columbia
There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...
to the summit, while Phyllis ran the Alpine Lodge, serving hot drinks and meals to hikers.
Discovery of the Waddington Range
In 1925, while on a trip to Mount ArrowsmithMount Arrowsmith
Mount Arrowsmith is the largest mountain on southern Vancouver Island. Its dominant rock is basalt. The mountain is contained within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and as of September 18, 2009 is designated part of 1,300 hectare Mt. Arrowsmith Regional Park....
, Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, Don and Phyllis Munday spotted what they believed to be a peak taller than Mount Robson
Mount Robson
Mount Robson is the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range; it is also the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. The mountain is located entirely within Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, and is part of the Rainbow Range. It is commonly thought to be the...
, the then accepted tallest peak entirely within British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. In the words of Don Munday
"The compass showed the alluring peak stood along a line passing a little east of Bute Inlet
Bute Inlet
Bute Inlet is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. It is 80 km long from its head at the mouths of the Homathko and Southgate Rivers to the continental headlands at its mouth, where it is nearly blocked by Stuart Island, and it averages about 4 km in width...
and perhaps 150 miles away, where blank spaces on the map left ample room for many nameless mountains." While there is some debate as to weather the peak they saw was indeed Mount Waddington (in fact Don Munday himself observed that the feat is impossible, they almost certainly saw a peak in the Waddington Range
Waddington Range
The Waddington Range is a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is only about 4000 km² in area, relatively small in area within the expanse of the range, but it is the highest area of the Pacific Ranges and of the Coast Mountains, being...
, and this led the Mundays to explore the area, and discover the mountain in fact.
Over the next decade, the Mundays mounted several expeditions into the area in an attempt to climb the mountain. Known to them as "The Mystery Mountain", in 1927 the height was measured at 13,260 feet (by triangulation), and the Canadian Geographic Board gave it the name Mount Waddington after Alfred Waddington
Alfred Waddington
Alfred Penderell Waddington was born in 1801 in the Brompton, Kensington, district of London, England. During his later years, Waddington was actively involved in the Colony of Vancouver Island in what later became the province of British Columbia, Canada....
who was a proponent of a railway through the Homathko River
Homathko River
The Homathko River is one of the major rivers of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia, and one of the few rivers that penetrates the range from the Chilcotin Plateau to the coastal inlets, entering the sea at the head of Bute Inlet adjacent to the mouth of the Southgate River, just to...
valley. They reached the lower northwest summit in 1928, deeming the main summit too risky.
First Ascents
- 1922 Parapet Peak
- 1922 Isosceles Peak
- 1923 Blackcomb PeakBlackcomb PeakBlackcomb Peak is a mountain located east of Whistler, British Columbia and forms the boundary between the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort and Garibaldi Provincial Park...
- 1924 Foley Peak
- 1930 Mount MundayMount MundayMount Munday is one of the principal summits of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. It is in elevation and stands in the Waddington Range six kilometres southeast of Mount Waddington , which is the highest summit in the Coast Mountains.The peak was named by...
- 1931 Sockeye Peak
- 1936 Silverthrone Mountain
- 1942 Mount Queen Bess
- 1946 Reliance Mountain