Nome Census Area High Point Trip Report

Mount Osborn (4,714 ft)

Date: July 1977
Author: Steve Fry

I climbed Mt.Osborn, in the Seward Peninsula, near Nome Alaska in July 1977. I climbed the peak along with Charles Barnwell, Larry Meinhart (sp?), and Gary Hickenbottom, as part of a 3-day, Fourth of July break from geological exploration. We reached the summit, and it seems there was a cairn there, plus some indication that Boy Scouts had climbed the peak.

The mountain features an awful summit problem, considering the remoteness of the location. The summit consists of rotten, loose rock. These pinnacles are ~ 5.5-5.8 climbs, they look unstable and difficult to climb. We didn't climb them. Therefore, we were perhaps ~ 10 feet below the summit at the immediately adjacent cairned summit. I doubt these summit adorning rotten pinnacles have been scaled, but I can't say this with too much authority.

The Kigluaik (sp?) Mountains, which Osborn presides over, is fairly spectacular, with impressive walls and a few pocket glaciers. The sedimentary/metamorphic layering, including dramatic folds, are eye-catching. The Mt. Osborn area is perhaps the most spectacular mountainous area in the Seward Peninsula.