Mount Morrison (California)
Encyclopedia
Mount Morrison is located in the Sierra Nevada, in the Sherwin Range
Sherwin Range
The Sherwin Range is a mountain range that is a part of the Sierra Nevada, in California, USA. The range is immediately to the south of the Long Valley Caldera, stretching from just south of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California to the Wheeler Crest...

. It rises south of Convict Lake
Convict Lake
Convict Lake , is a lake in the Sherwin Range of the Sierra Nevada in California, USA. It is known for its fishing and the dramatic mountains that surround the lake....

 near the town of Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Lakes, California
-History:The European history of Mammoth Lakes started in 1877, when four prospectors staked a claim on Mineral Hill, south of the current town, along Old Mammoth Road. In 1878, the Mammoth Mining Company was organized to mine Mineral Hill, which caused a gold rush. By the end of 1878, 1500 people...

.

History

The mountain was named for Robert Morrison, a merchant in the town of Benton
Benton, California
Benton is a census-designated place in Mono County, California, United States. It is located 3 miles east-northeast of the community of Benton Hot Springs and north of the community of Bishop, at an elevation of 5387 feet...

, who was killed near Convict Lake on September 23, 1871 while was acting as member of a posse pursuing escaped convicts from the Nevada State Penitentiary.
Nearby is Mono Jim Peak which is named for Mono Jim, a Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...

 guide, who died in the same gun fight.

Climbing

Sources state that Norman Clyde
Norman Clyde
Norman Clyde was a mountaineer, mountain guide, freelance writer, nature photographer, and self trained naturalist. He is well-known for achieving over 130 first ascents, many in California's Sierra Nevada and Montana's Glacier National Park...

 climbed to the peak on June 22, 1928 and that John Mendendhall also reached the summit in 1928 but the month of his ascent is not documented.

There are several routes to the summit, the easiest consisting of a Class 2 scramble and bushwack. The face consists of extremely loose rock and one should exercise extreme caution when attempting the face.

Due to its imposing east face, Mount Morrison is also nicknamed the "Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...

 of the Sierra."

Geology

Fulgurite
Fulgurite
Fulgurites are natural hollow glass tubes formed in quartzose sand, or silica, or soil by lightning strikes. They are formed when lightning with a temperature of at least instantaneously melts silica on a conductive surface and fuses grains together; the fulgurite tube is the cooled product...

s, natural hollow glass tubes, are found at the top of the mountain. These oddities are formed by lightning acting on certain types of sand or soil.
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