<p>Gatun Lake  is a large artificial lake to the south of Colón, Panama. It forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carrying ships for 33 km of their transit across the Isthmus of Panama.</p><br>
<p>The lake was created between 1907 and 1913 by the building of the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River. At the time it was created, Gatun Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world. Gatun Dam was also the largest of its kind.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>The lake is situated in the valley of the Chagres River. It was formed, and the river widened and deepened, by the construction of the Gatun Dam about 10 km from the river&#39;s mouth in the Caribbean Sea in 1907–1913. The geography of the area was ideal for the creation of a large lake here; the hills bordering the valley of the Chagres open up widely around the area of the lake, but come together to form a gap just over 2 km wide at the location of the dam. The damming of the river flooded the originally wooded valley; almost a century later, the stumps of old mahogany trees can still be seen rising from the water, and submerged snags form a hazard for any small vessels that wander off the marked channels.</p><br>
<p>Gatun Lake has an area of 425 km&sup2; at its normal level of 26 m (85 ft) above sea level; it stores 5.2 cubic kilometres (183,000,000,000 ft³) of water, which is about as much as the Chagres River brings down in an average year.</p><br>
<p>With the creation of the lake many hilltops became islands. The biggest and best known of them is Barro Colorado Island, home of the world-famous Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).</p><br>
<p>The lake has given its name to the Gatun structure, which may be an eroded impact crater.</p><br>
<h2>Role in the canal</h2><br>
<p>Gatun Lake forms a major component of the Panama Canal; the lake, including the flooded arm extending up the Chagres River, makes up 32.7 km of the raised part of the waterway, the other part being the 12.6 km Culebra Cut.</p><br>
<p>The canal follows a clearly marked route around the lake&#39;s islands, following the deeper water south from Gatun Locks, and then east. A small "shortcut" channel, the "Banana Cut", runs between the islands, providing a slightly shorter route through the lake; this is used by canal launches and yachts to cut a little time off the crossing, and to avoid the heavy ship traffic.</p><br>
<p>The lake is also important as a reservoir of water for the operation of the canal locks. Each time a ship transits the canal 202,000 m&sup3; of water is passed from the lake into the sea; with over 14,000 vessel transits per year, this represents a very large demand for water. Since rainfall is seasonal in Panama, the lake acts as a water store, allowing the canal to continue operation through the dry season.</p><br>
<p>A major factor in water regulation is the ability of the rainforest in the lakes watershed to absorb rainfall, releasing it gradually into the lake. However, significant deforestation of the watershed has cleared away much of the vegetation, and reduced the areas water capacity. This has resulted in falling water levels in the lake during the dry season. Coupled with the massive increase in canal traffic since its opening, and the resultant increase in water usage, this is an ongoing problem for the canal (see Panama Canal: Water issues).</p><br>
<h2>Gatun Lake supplementary benefits</h2><br>
<p>Created in 1913 by the damming of the Chagres River, Gatun Lake is an essential part of the Panama Canal which forms a water passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, permitting ship transit in both directions. At the time it was formed, Gatun Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world. The impassable rain-forest around Gatun Lake has been the best defense of the Panama Canal. Today these areas have endured practically unscathed by human interference and are one of the few accessible areas on Earth where various native Central American animal and plant species can be observed undisturbed in their natural habitat.</p><br>
<p>Barro Colorado Island, which was established for scientific study when the lake was formed and is today operated by the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest island on Gatun Lake. Many of the most important ground breaking scientific and biological discoveries of the tropical animal and plant kingdom originated here. Lake Gatun encompasses approximately 180 square miles, a tropical ecological zone part of the Atlantic Forest Corridor and ecotourism on Gatun Lake has become a worthwhile industry for Panamanians. Gatun Lake also serves to provide the millions of gallons of water necessary to operate the Panama Canal locks each time a ship passes through and provides drinking water for Panama City and Colon.</p><br>
<p>Angling is one of the primary recreational pursuits on Gatun Lake. Non-native Peacock Bass were introduced by accident to Gatun Lake around 1967 by a local businessman, and have since flourished to become the dominant angling game fish in Gatun Lake. Locally called Sargento, and believed to be the species Cichla Pleiozona, these peacock bass are not a native game fish of Panama but originate from the Amazon, Rio Negro and Orinoco river basins of South America where they are called Tucanare or Pavon and are considered a premier game fish.</p><br>
<p>The Town Clock is a large clock that stands in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. The clock has stood over the city for over 130 years. The present clock is the second "Town Clock&quot the first collapsed in the 1870s, killing three people. The building on which it originally stood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but the clock tower itself is not.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>The First Town Clock</h3><br>
<p>Dr. Asa Horr began the fundraising effort to build a town clock in Dubuque, Iowa in 1864. The clock was built by New York City&#39;s Naylor & Co. and its frame was designed by architect William Longhurst. George D. Wood gave a ten-year lease to the city for the clock to be placed on the John Bell and Company Store building which they owned. The building had originally housed a Congregational church and then "The Odeon", a German theater. That was followed by the post office, and then a concert hall before it became the home of the John Bell Company. This first clock was placed on a tower of the building at a cost of $3,000. All men who had pledged at least $25 formed the Dubuque Town Clock Company to oversee its maintenance.</p><br>
<p>On May 25, 1872, several people noticed cracks forming in the walls of the store building. Workers attempted to clear the location where they expected the clock to fall. At 5:16 PM, both the clock and the John Bell store collapsed, killing a child and two women who were inside the store at the time. An investigation into the matter reported that the foundation of the Bell Store was not sufficient to handle the clock&#39;s weight. It was also reported that construction next door was the primary cause of the accident. Losses from the disaster were estimated to be between $15,000 and $20,000.</p><br>
<h3>The Second Town Clock</h3><br>
<h4>Town Clock Building</h4><br>
<p>Dubuque residents soon decided to replace the collapsed Town Clock. George Wood, who had owned the collapsed building, wanted the new town clock on his property, but John Bell was not interested in being a part of the project. Wood decided to build the new building on his own, while the tower was paid for through subscriptions. He cleared the remainder of the collapsed building and the neighboring Dr. Lay residence. A partnership between architects Fridolin Heer, Sr. and Edward Naescher designed the new building, as well as plans for a new three-story tower. A three-story brick Italianate building was designed to support the tower, which rose 58 ft above the building.</p><br>
<p>The city paid the $5,309.46 cost for the new clock, which began operating on April 17, 1873. The bell, which weighs over 4,200 lb, was cast by Naylor & Co. and the clock was built by Boston firm Howard & Co. Time was recorded via a subterranean transit instrument which was used to observe the passage of stars. This provided accurate time readings to within half of a second and was always kept accurate within two seconds.</p><br>
<p>For a number of years, the clock had a mechanical movement. Two employees spent an hour and a half winding cranks that were attached to the weights, which would allow the clock to operate for one week. In 1923, the Town Clock was almost dismantled when the financial cost of repairs led the city council to decide to remove the clock. However, the council changed their minds when a poll found that a majority of citizens favored keeping and maintaining it. In 1927, the clock was electrified by Interstate Power Company when a new Seth Thomas movement was placed in the clock. Western Union then synchronized the clock.</p><br>
<h4>Urban Renewal</h4><br>
<p>With the urban renewal trend in the 1970s, the "Your Town Clock Committee" was organized. Their goal was to have the clock moved from the current location at 825 Main Street to the new Town Clock Plaza, which the city council approved. The cost for the move was $70,000, which was raised through donations raised over a 14-month period.</p><br>
<p>The Durrant Architecture firm of Dubuque designed a pre-caast four-column pedestal that was then placed in the plaza. The actual tower was brought to the site on Feb 12, 1971, and bolted to the pedestal. The faces of the clock were placed at the new location on Feb 16, 1971. Afterwards the cupola was placed at the new site, which completed the move. After the reassembly was complete, the clock stood about 108 feet above the street, which was about two feet taller than at its previous location.</p><br>
<p>The move helped increase the visibility of the Town Clock, where it now served as the centerpiece at special events held at Town Clock Plaza. Otherwise, most of the traffic had moved out to the west end of the city. Main street had become an office park. In 1989, concerns were voiced about vibrations made by loud music and dancers possibly causing damage to the pedestal or the clock. The city studied the problem and stated its confidence that the Town Clock was structurally sound.</p><br>
<h4>Recent events</h4><br>
<p>In recent years, Main Street from Fifth street to Ninth street was reopened to automobile traffic after it was determined that the pedestrian plaza no longer was an effective option for the downtown area. This would have left the Town Clock standing in the middle of Main Street, but a small traffic circle was built around the clock. The clock continues to stand as a distinctive Dubuque landmark. Due to the cold it was frozen at 7:33, however it has been operational year round for several years.</p><br>
<p>The Dubuque County Courthouse is located on Central Avenue, between 7th and 8th Streets, in Dubuque, Iowa. The current structure was built in 1891 to replace an earlier building constructed in 1839. These are believed to be the only two structures to house the county courts and administrative offices.</p><br>
<p>The courthouse houses several county government including the county auditor, treasurer, attorney, and facilities for the Iowa District Court for Dubuque County.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<p>The Dubuque County Courthouse was one of the first buildings in the city added to the National Register of Historic Places. County officials chose architect Fridolin Heer, designer of Sacred Heart Church and several other notable buildings in the city, who designed the structure in the Beaux-Arts style. The adjacent Dubuque County Jail is a National Historic Landmark.</p><br>
<p>The structure is constructed of red brick and Indiana Limestone with a footprint 88 x. It is five-stories topped by a 190 ft tower surmounted by a 14 ft statue of Justice. Upon completion, 12 classic statues adorned the roof, however only six remain. Some reports say the others were removed during World War I to provide materiel for the war effort.</p><br>
<h2>Renovations</h2><br>
<p>Renovations were done to the building over the years, especially in the 1980s. Changes include the installation of a glass elevator, a granite fountain was placed on the ground floor, and the entrances into the building were moved to the ground level from the second floor. Gold leaf was applied to the tower dome. Given the various weather conditions it did not hold and it had to be repaired. The county reevaluated security at the courthouse following the murders of a judge in Georgia and a judge&#39;s family in Illinois. All entrances, but one, were closed and visitors and their possessions were screened.</p><br>
<p>Mount Saint Elias, also designated Boundary Peak 186, is the second highest mountain in both Canada and the United States, being situated on the Yukon and Alaska border. It lies about 40 km southwest of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada. The Canadian side is part of Kluane National Park and Reserve, while the USA side of the mountain is located within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.</p><br>
<p>Its name in Tlingit is Yasʼéitʼaa Shaa, meaning "mountain behind Icy Bay", and is occasionally called Shaa Tlein "Big Mountain" by the Yakutat Tlingit. It is one of the most important crests of the Kwaashkʼiḵwáan clan since they used it as a guide during their journey down the Copper River. Mount Fairweather at the apex of the British Columbia and Alaska borders at the head of the Alaska Panhandle is known as Tsalx̱aan, it is said this mountain and Yasʼéitʼaa Shaa (Mt. St. Elias) were originally next to each other but had an argument and separated. Their children, the mountains in between the two peaks, are called Tsalx̱aan Yátxʼi ("Children of Tsalxaan").</p><br>
<p>The mountain was first sighted by European explorers on July 16, 1741 by Vitus Bering of Russia. While some historians contend that the mountain was named by Bering, others believe that eighteenth century mapmakers named it after Cape Saint Elias, when it was left unnamed by Bering.</p><br>
<p>Mount Saint Elias is notable for its immense vertical relief. Its summit rises 18,008 ft vertically in just 10 mi horizontal distance from the head of Taan Fjord, off of Icy Bay.</p><br>
<p>In 2007, an Austrian documentary movie called "Mount. St. Elias" was made about a team of skier/mountaineers determined to make "the planet&#39;s longest skiing descent" – ascending the mountain and then skiing nearly all 18,000 feet down to the Gulf of Alaska; the movie finished editing and underwent limited release in 2009. The climbers ended up summiting on the second attempt and skiing down to 13,000 feet.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>Mt. St. Elias was first climbed on July 31, 1897 by an Italian expedition led by famed explorer Prince Luigi Amadeo di Savoia, (who also reconnoitered the current standard route on K2 in 1909) and including noted mountain photographer Vittorio Sella.</p><br>
<p>The second ascent was not until 1946, when a group from the Harvard Mountaineering Club including noted mountain historian Dee Molenaar climbed the Southwest Ridge route. The summit party comprised Molenaar, his brother Cornelius, Andrew and Betty Kauffman, Maynard Miller, William Latady, and Benjamin Ferris. (This expedition was somewhat unusual for the era in including a female member.) William Putnam was a member of the expedition but did not make the summit. They used eleven camps, eight of which were on the approach from Icy Bay, and three of which were on the mountain. They were supported by multiple air drops of food.</p><br>
<p>The first winter ascent was made on February 13, 1996 by David Briggs, Gardner Heaton and Joe Reichert. After being flown in to 2,300 ft on the Tyndal Glacier, they climbed the southwest ridge and followed the "Milk Bowl" variation in order to avoid 2,000 feet of loose rock on the normal route. The team had originally planned to begin their ascent from the ocean and cross the Tyndal Glacier but the terrain was in very poor condition.</p><br>
<p>Mount Saint Elias is infrequently climbed today, despite its height, because it has no easy route to the summit and because of its prolonged periods of bad weather (mainly snow and low visibility).</p><br>
<h2>Routes</h2><br>
<p>Abruzzi Ridge</p><br>
<p>Livermore Ridge</p><br>
<p>The Waipa River is in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. The headwaters are in the Rangitoto Range east of Te Kuiti. It flows north for 115 km, passing through Otorohanga and Pirongia, before flowing into the Waikato River at Ngaruawahia. It is the Waikatos largest tributary. The Waipas main tributary is the Puniu River.</p><br>
<p>In the headwaters upstream of Otorohanga the river can be very clear during low flow conditions. This section of the river flows through rough farmland and patches of native bush. In this clearer part of the river there can be very good fly fishing for trout, but you&#39;ll need to ask the land owners permission to access the river.</p><br>
<p>The Waipa is prone to flooding in its lower reaches as flood flows can be over 100 times—20 to 560 m3/s—those of dry flows and the river can rise up to 11 m.</p><br>
<p>In 2013 Maniapoto Māori Trust Board and the riparian local councils set up a joint management agreement for the river.</p><br>
<h2>Speed of flow</h2><br>
<p>The table below shows the time water takes to flow the 130 km from Te Kuiti to its confluence with the Waikato in times of low flow (15% of days are slower than this) and high flow (15% of days faster) -</p><br>
<h2>Power stations</h2><br>
<p>In 2003 Hydro Power Ltd was given consent to build a hydro-electric power station, with weirs in the, upstream from Owen Falls, and penstocks carrying water down the gorge to a station on the west bank 2.5 km below the falls. Work was done in 2006, but, in 2007, Hydro Energy (Waipa) Ltd was fined for unconsented damage to native vegetation in building the penstock. The resource was initially estimated to be able to generate 10 to 20MW. Construction halted, though Renewable Power bought the asset in 2010 and estimates potential at 9MW.</p><br>
<p>In 2017 Nova Energy were given consent to build a 360MW gas-turbine station (connected to the Maui Gas Pipeline) on the Ongaruhe Stream, close to its confluence with the Waipa. The mid-merit Waikato Power Plant at 869 Kawhia Rd, Otorohanga is expected to be used for 10 to 15 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day.</p><br>
<h2>Pollution</h2><br>
<p>Waikato Regional Council measures water quality monthly at five sites from Mangaokewa to Whatawhata. The measurements show poor quality along most of the river, with excess nitrogen, silt and phosphorus, though E. coli levels have improved with improved sewage treatment, though generally not enough for safe swimming; recreational rivers should have median E. coli levels below 126 per 100ml, but Waipa&#39;s range from 160 to 320. Turbidity levels north of Otorohanga rise to more than double the levels needed to support plant photosynthesis and phosphorus levels also rise above targets in that stretch. Nitrogen levels increased at all five sites between 1993 and 2012 due to intensified land use, now adding 3,075 tonnes a year. By comparison, the total from sewage works and Te Awamutu dairy factory is 66 tonnes.</p><br>
<p>Ministry for the Environment figures averaged between 1998 and 2007 showed the Waipa at Otorohanga had 280 E.coli per 100ml (53rd worst out of 154), 360 faecal coliforms per 100ml (83rd of 252), 0.55 mg/litre nitrogen (161th of 342) and 0.03 mg/litre phosphorus (187th of 361).</p><br>
<p>At Pirongia the figures were 390 E.coli per 100ml (35th worst out of 154), 425 faecal coliforms per 100ml (64th of 252), 0.49 mg/litre nitrogen (174th of 342) and 0.06 mg/litre phosphorus (80th of 361).</p><br>
<p>At Whatawhata the figures were 0.92 mg/litre nitrogen (94th of 342) and 0.06 mg/litre phosphorus (69th of 361).</p><br>
<p>In the Mangaokewa stream 0.02 mg/litre phosphorus (237th of 361).</p><br>
<h2>Soil conservation</h2><br>
<p>Regional Council estimates that 8,718 hectare is at risk of severe erosion in the Middle Waipa (Waitomo, Turitea, Pirongia, Karakariki, Puniu, Mangaotama, Mangawhero and Mangapiko catchments) and 350 km of stream bank to be prone to erosion. Project Watershed plans for planting on 1,594 hectare, plus 976 km of stream bank and 1,332 km of fencing, from 2017 to 2026.</p><br>
<h2>Bridges</h2><br>
<p>Listed in order from the confluence with the Waikato and moving south they are:-</p><br>
<p>1898 Ngaruawahia bridge opened. Collapsed under a mob of cattle 20 December 1916 (see ) and rebuilt in 1922 with three 110 ft trusses. The bridges were preceded by a punt (see ), supplied by the government in 1887. A new bridge was opened on 18 January 1974.</p><br>
<p>1914-1958 Waipa Railway and Coal Co. 70 ft long bridge.</p><br>
<p>1881 (20 April)Whatawhata bridge, originally wooden and 520 ft long and 15 ft above high water mark, consisted of two spans of 80 ft, 7 of 40 and 4 of 20 ft, and cost £3700. Repairs were done in 1909, but it was in poor repair again by 1917. For £11,250 a new truss bridge was built over the top of it in 1924. The current SH23 concrete bridge, which is south of the original site, was shown on the 1974 edition of the 1 inch Lands & Survey map, but not on the 1965 3rd edition. Records of the road structure show it dates from 1971, which is probably the date of the bridge. The bridge replaced a punt, which had operated from 1867.</p><br>
<p>1881 (12 August) 400 ft long Te Rore bridge. Replaced 1957.</p><br>
<p>1865 (about) Alexandra Bridge, Baffin St, Pirongia, originally built by the army.</p><br>
<p>1882 Alexandra Bridge, McClure St, Whatiwhatihoe, Pirongia."Mr. Wright has superintended the construction of the Alexandra Bridge, over the Waipa River, to give access to Tāwhiaos new settlement, Whatiwhatihoe (see ), and which will at the same time eventually be on the main line leading into the King country. The bridge will be open now in a fortnights time, it consists of six 24 ft spans, and three 40 ft trusses, a total length of 264 ft, the height being 42 ft above ordinary river level. The approaches and about a mile of road, and a large culvert have been made by Mr. Wright, with Maori labor. The whole will have been completed at a cost of about £1,800." There was a plan to replace it in 1939. SH39 now crosses on a 112.8 m 1953 bridge.</p><br>
<p>1915 Te Kawa Rd bridge 340 ft long, 40 ft high.</p><br>
<p>Kawhia Rd, Otorohanga, SH31/SH39 cross on a 147.5 m 1964 bridge.</p><br>
<p>Maniapoto St, Otorohanga SH3 now crosses on a 51.8 m 1964 bridge. It replaced a bridge built in the early 1950s.</p><br>
<p>1887 North Island Main Trunk railway bridge.</p><br>
<p>1928 Toa Bridge, Otewa Rd.</p><br>
<h2>Steamer services</h2><br>
<p>Over 50 km was navigable by waka and Pirongia (Alexandra) was busy as the head of steamboat navigation until the railway was built to Te Awamutu in 1880, though some settlers used it as far as Te Kuiti. However, a 1915 guidebook still said, "Small steamers ply up and down the river from Huntly". An 1881 article said a journey upriver would normally take 36 hours, but more in dry weather, when shoals at Whatawhata and Te Rore were hard to cross. An 1898 petition complained about wharfage charges at Mercer being a tax on residents along the Waipa. Around 1900 the Freetrader, owned by the Waikato Company, "was withdrawn owing to competition from the Walsh brothers with their launch Victory, which could traverse the winding Waipa much more easily than the cumbersome stern-wheeler."</p><br>
<p>As late as 1919 Waipa County Council pressed for removal of shingle shoals to permit navigation to Pirongia and got money for improvements from government and the county councils. Evidence given to the Inland Waterways Commission in 1921 said boats carrying 20 tons could reach Pirongia for most of the year and, up to about 30 years before, vessels carried 60 tons to Pirongia and a special fleet of steamers ran to Te Kuiti. Steamers seem to have ended with the sinking of the Opuatia at Whatawhata in 1920.</p><br>
<p>Shamian  is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. The island&#39;s name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese.</p><br>
<p>The territory was divided into two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom by the Qing government in the 19th century. The island is a gazetted historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period, with quiet pedestrian avenues flanked by trees and lined by historical buildings in various states of upkeep. The island is the location of several hotels, a youth hostel, restaurants and tourist shops selling curios and souvenirs.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The island covers an area of 0.3 km², 900 m from east to west, and 300 m from north to south. It is bordered in the south by the Pearl River, and it is separated from the mainland by a canal.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Shamian Island was an important port for Guangzhou&#39;s foreign trade from the Song to the Qing Dynasty. which was then an anchorage for thousands of boat people. Shamian became a strategic point for city defense during the period of the First and Second Opium Wars. In 1859, the territory was divided in two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom (of which 3/5 belonged to the British and 2/5 to the French). It was connected to the mainland by two bridges, which were closed at 10pm as a security measure. The British arch bridge, also called the "Bridge of England" and built in 1861, to the north was guarded by Sikh police officers, and the French bridge to the east was guarded by Vietnamese (Cochinchina) recruits with the Troupes coloniales.</p><br>
<p>Trading companies from Britain, the United States, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Japan built stone mansions along the waterfront. The construction on the island was characterized by climate-adapted but Western-plan detached houses with hipped roofs and large verandahs.</p><br>
<p>The island was the scene of fighting during the "June 23 incident" in 1925.</p><br>
<p>After 1949, the mansions of Shamian became government offices or apartment houses and the churches were turned into factories.</p><br>
<h2>Features</h2><br>
<h3>Religious buildings</h3><br>
<p>The French Catholic chapel, Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, has been restored and stands on the main boulevard. Located at the French end of the island, it was completed in 1892.</p><br>
<p>The British Protestant church, Christ Church Shameen was built in 1865.</p><br>
<h3>Government</h3><br>
<p>The community includes the Shamian Police Station.</p><br>
<h3>Consulates</h3><br>
<p>While Shamian Island has historically been the site of a number of consulates, the only one located on Shamian Island is the Consulate of Poland, at No. 63 Shamian Main Street.</p><br>
<p>Former consulates on the Island include:</p><br>
<p>Czechoslovakia. The Czech Consulate was for some time located at No. 1 North Shamian Street, in a 1911 building, which later hosted the North Korean trade delegation in Guangzhou.</p><br>
<p>France. No. 20 South Shamian Street.</p><br>
<p>Germany. No. 59 Shamian Main Street South. The building also housed the Asiatic Petroleum Company.</p><br>
<p>Japan. No. 22 South Shamian Street.</p><br>
<p>Norway. No. 54 Shamian Main Street North.</p><br>
<p>Portugal. No. 42 South Shamian Street.</p><br>
<p>Soviet Union. The Soviet Consulate was for some time located at 68 Shamian Main Street North, in a 1916 building.</p><br>
<p>United Kingdom. No. 44-46 South Shamian Street.</p><br>
<p>United States. The USA Consulate Guangzhou was located at No. 56 Shamian Main Street North from 1873 to 1938, and later during several months in 1949. In April 1990, the consulate moved again to Shamian Island, where it occupied the Consulate Tower, a new building at 1 Shamian South Street, built on reclaimed land near the Pearl River and next to the White Swan Hotel. In 2005, the Consular Section of the Consulate moved to a location in Tianhe District. In July 2013, the Consulate was relocated to a new building within Zhujiang New Town. The consulate&#39;s location made Shamian Island a hub for USA families adopting children from China.</p><br>
<h3>Education</h3><br>
<p>Schools in the community include Shamian Primary School and Shamian Experimental Primary School.</p><br>
<h3>Recreation</h3><br>
<p>Shamian Park and the Shamian Tennis Courts ) are in the community.</p><br>
<h3>Statues</h3><br>
<p>Various bronze statues are scattered around the island which depict life as it was during earlier periods on the island, as well as from more recent times. For example, one statue entitled "A gentleman, a lady and a darn woman" shows a Western couple watching a Chinese woman darning cloth. Another depicts the changing appearances and stature of Chinese women, with a woman from colonial times in traditional clothing, a slightly taller woman from the early or mid 20th century wearing a cheongsam, and a relatively tall and slender young Chinese woman wearing shorts and talking on a mobile phone.</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>The three east-west streets of the island, formerly named "Canal Street", "Central Avenue" (a tree-lined boulevard), and "Front Avenue" (originally lined on the riverside by parks) were renamed "Shamian North Road" (Shamian Beijie), "Shamian Main Street" (Shamian Dajie), and "Shamian South Road" (Shamian Nanjie). The five north-south streets are named Shamian 1 Street to Shamian 5 Street.</p><br>
<p>Huangsha Station of Guangzhou Metro is located within a short walk from the island, via an overpass crossing the busy Liu&#39;ersan Road. There is also a ferry running from Huangsha Pier to Fangcun Pier, which runs every 10 minutes carrying foot-passengers and bicycles. Fares are from 0.5 RMB for a foot passenger and 1 RMB for a passenger with a bike. There are no public buses on the island itself, although there are several nearby bus stops.</p><br>
<p>Metairie Cemetery is a cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana; but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road .</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>This site was previously a horse racing track, Metairie Race Course, founded in 1838.</p><br>
<p>The race track was the site of the famous Lexington-Lecomte Race, April 1, 1854, billed as the "North against the South" race. Former President Millard Fillmore attended. While racing was suspended because of the American Civil War, it was used as a Confederate Camp (Camp Moore) until David Farragut took New Orleans for the Union in April 1862. Metairie Cemetery was built upon the grounds of the old Metairie Race Course after it went bankrupt.</p><br>
<p>The race track, which was owned by the Metairie Jockey Club, refused membership to Charles T. Howard, a local resident who had gained his wealth by starting the first Louisiana State Lottery. After being refused membership, Howard vowed that the race course would become a cemetery. Sure enough, after the Civil War and Reconstruction, the track went bankrupt and Howard was able to see his curse come true. Today, Howard is buried in his tomb located on Central Avenue in the cemetery, which was built following the original oval layout of the track itself. Mr. Howard died in 1885 in Dobbs Ferry, New York when he fell from a newly purchased horse.</p><br>
<p>Metairie Cemetery was previously owned and operated by Stewart Enterprises, Inc., of Jefferson, Louisiana. However, in December 2013, Service Corporation International bought Metairie Cemetery and other Stewart locations.</p><br>
<h2>Sights</h2><br>
<p>Metairie Cemetery has the largest collection of elaborate marble tombs and funeral statuary in the city.</p><br>
<p>One of the most famous is the Army of Tennessee, Louisiana Division monument, a monumental tomb of Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. The monument includes two notable works by sculptor Alexander Doyle (1857–1922):</p><br>
<p>Atop the tomb is an 1877 equestrian statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston on his horse "Fire-eater", holding binoculars in his right hand. General Johnston was for a time entombed here, but the remains were later removed to Texas.</p><br>
<p>To the right of the entrance to the tomb is an 1885 life size statue represents a Confederate officer about to read the roll of the dead during the American Civil War. The statue is said to be modeled after Sergeant William Brunet of the Louisiana Guard Battery, but is intended to represent all Confederate soldiers.</p><br>
<p>Other notable monuments in Metairie Cemetery include:</p><br>
<p>the pseudo-Egyptian pyramid</p><br>
<p>Laure Beauregard Larendon&#39;s tomb, which features Moorish details and beautiful stained glass</p><br>
<p>the former tomb of Storyville madam Josie Arlington</p><br>
<p>the Moriarty tomb with a marble monument with a height of 60 ft tall, which required the construction of a temporary special spur railroad line to transport the monument&#39;s building materials to the cemetery; and</p><br>
<p>the memorial of 19th-century police chief David Hennessy, whose murder sparked a riot.</p><br>
<p>The initial construction of at least one of these elaborate final resting places – restaurateur Ruth Fertel’s mausoleum – is estimated to have cost between $125,000 to $500,000 (in late 20th century dollars).</p><br>
<h2>List of notable and celebrity burials</h2><br>
<p>Algernon Sidney Badger, New Orleans government official during and after Reconstruction</p><br>
<p>T. L. Bayne, first Tulane University football coach and organizer of first football game in New Orleans</p><br>
<p>P. G. T. Beauregard, Confederate General, former Superintendent at West Point</p><br>
<p>John Bernecker, stunt performer</p><br>
<p>Renato Cellini, operatic conductor</p><br>
<p>William C. C. Claiborne, first USA Governor of Louisiana</p><br>
<p>Marguerite Clark, stage and film actress</p><br>
<p>Lewis Strong Clarke, sugar planter and Republican politician</p><br>
<p>Isaac Cline was the chief meteorologist at the Galveston, Texas office of the US Weather Bureau from 1889 to 1901. In that role, he became an integral figure in the devastating Galveston Hurricane of 1900.</p><br>
<p>Hamilton D. Coleman was a businessman who held Louisiana&#39;s 2nd congressional district seat from 1889 to 1891. He was the last Republican member of the USA House from Louisiana until 1973.</p><br>
<p>Al Copeland, founder of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen</p><br>
<p>Jefferson Davis was buried at Metairie Cemetery, but his remains were later moved to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.</p><br>
<p>Dorothy Dell, film actress of the 1930s</p><br>
<p>Dorothy Dix, advice columnist</p><br>
<p>Charles E. Dunbar, New Orleans attorney and civil service reformer</p><br>
<p>Joachim O. Fernández, USA Representative from Louisiana&#39;s 1st congressional district from 1931 to 1941</p><br>
<p>Ruth U. Fertel, founder of Ruth&#39;s Chris Steak House</p><br>
<p>Benjamin Flanders, Reconstruction-era state governor and New Orleans mayor</p><br>
<p>Jim Garrison, New Orleans District Attorney</p><br>
<p>Edward James Gay III, USA Senator</p><br>
<p>Michael Hahn, Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives and Governor of Louisiana</p><br>
<p>Benjamin Morgan Harrod, civil engineer who designed New Orleans water/sewerage system</p><br>
<p>William W. Heard, Governor of Louisiana from 1900-1904</p><br>
<p>William G. Helis, Sr., American oilman, racehorse/owner breeder</p><br>
<p>Andrew Higgins, inventor of the "Higgins Boat"</p><br>
<p>Al Hirt, jazz trumpeter</p><br>
<p>Ken Hollis, state senator from Jefferson Parish</p><br>
<p>John Bell Hood, Confederate General</p><br>
<p>Chapman H. Hyams, stockbroker, businessman and philanthropist</p><br>
<p>John E. Jackson, Sr., New Orleans lawyer and state Republican chairman from 1929 to 1934</p><br>
<p>Ed Karst, mayor of Alexandria, Louisiana, from 1969 to 1973</p><br>
<p>Grace King, author</p><br>
<p>Richard W. Leche, Governor of Louisiana</p><br>
<p>Harry Lee, Sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana</p><br>
<p>Samuel D. McEnery, Governor of Louisiana</p><br>
<p>Louis H. Marrero, Jefferson Parish Police Juror & President, Jefferson Parish Sheriff, Senator, Lafourche Basin Levee Board</p><br>
<p>John Albert Morris, the "Lottery King"</p><br>
<p>deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr., Mayor of New Orleans</p><br>
<p>deLesseps Story "Toni" Morrison, Jr., state legislator from Orleans Parish</p><br>
<p>Elwyn Nicholson, state senator from 1972 to 1988, grocery store owner</p><br>
<p>Alton Ochsner, surgeon, co-founder of Ochsner Clinic (now Ochsner Health System)</p><br>
<p>Lionel Ott, member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1940 to 1945 and the last New Orleans finance commissioner from 1946 to 1954</p><br>
<p>Mel Ott, Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player</p><br>
<p>Benjamin M. Palmer, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans (1856–1902)</p><br>
<p>John M. Parker, governor of Louisiana</p><br>
<p>P. B. S. Pinchback, African American Governor of Louisiana for 35 days, 1872–1873</p><br>
<p>Louis Prima, bandleader</p><br>
<p>Stan Rice, poet</p><br>
<p>John Leonard Riddell, melter and refiner of Mint 1839-1848, Postmaster 1859-1862, inventor of the binocular microscope</p><br>
<p>Louis J. Roussel, Jr., businessman and political donor</p><br>
<p>John G. Schwegmann, supermarket pioneer and member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature</p><br>
<p>James Z. Spearing, USA representative, 1924-1931, from Louisiana&#39;s 2nd congressional district</p><br>
<p>Norman Treigle, opera star</p><br>
<p>Helen Turner, painter</p><br>
<p>Cora Witherspoon, stage and screen character actress</p><br>
<p>The Saint Elias Mountains are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in southeastern Alaska in the United States, southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada. The range spans Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in the USA and Kluane National Park and Reserve in Canada and includes all of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. In Alaska, the range includes parts of the city/borough of Yakutat and the Hoonah-Angoon and Valdez-Cordova census areas.</p><br>
<p>This mountain range was named after Mount Saint Elias which had been named in 1741 by the Russian explorer Vitus Bering.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The St. Elias Mountains is the highest coastal mountain range on Earth. It formed due to the subduction of the Yakutat microplate underneath the North American Plate. The Yakutat microplate is a wedge shaped oceanic plateau with 20–30 km thickness. Similar to the adjacent Pacific plate (7 km crustal thickness) the Yakutat plate is currently moving northwestward with a rate of ~50 mm/year with respect to North America. The Yakutat plate is transported northwards along the active Fairweather Fault, which probably started more than 35 million years ago.</p><br>
<p>The St. Elias Mountains formed at the plate boundary between the Yakutat and North American plate. The up to 12 km thick sediments that have been deposited on top of the Yakutat plate are imbricated and deformed as they became scraped off and compose today the southern (coastal) flanks of the St. Elias Mountains. In contrast the high elevated regions of the drainage divide (Bagley Ice Field, Seward Glacier) and north of it are composed of rocks that are part of the North American plate.</p><br>
<p>The highest peaks of the St. Elias Mountains are located in the high ice field region of the Kluane National Park (Mt. Logan, Mt. Vancouver) and north of the Malaspina Glacier (Mt. St. Elias, Mt. Cook), in the region known as the St. Elias syntaxis. At the syntaxis region the tectonic style changes from strike-slip motion along the Fairweather Fault to collision west of Malaspina Strait. This tectonic transition concentrates stress in the crust at the syntaxis that together with efficient glacial erosion results in positive feedback processes that through time forms extreme high mountain peaks and local relief, and rapid exhumation of rocks from up to 10 km depths to the surface.</p><br>
<h2>Ranges</h2><br>
<p>The mountains are divided by the Duke Depression, with the shorter, more rounded Kluane Ranges to the east, and the higher Icefield Ranges to the west. Sub-ranges of the Saint Elias include the Alsek Ranges, the Fairweather Range, and the Centennial Range.</p><br>
<h2>Highest mountains</h2><br>
<p>The highest mountains of the range include:</p><br>
<p>The Blue River is a small river in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows its entire length within the Mount Aspiring National Park, and although on the southeastern side of the main divide, the river is within the boundaries of the West Coast region for its entire length.</p><br>
<p>The headwaters are southeast of the main range of the Southern Alps near the mountain Eyetooth, with the smaller Blue River North Branch and South Branch joining the main Blue River later. Shortly before flowing into the Makarora River, the river passes through a narrow gorge.</p><br>
<p>At its confluence with the Makarora River, the aptly named Blue Pools are the destination of a popular short walk from State Highway 6, with a bridge crossing the Blue River and providing good views upstream into the gorge and downstream over the river flowing into Makarora River. The longer Blue Valley tramping track leads deep into the Blue River Valley and along most of the length of the river.</p><br>
<p>Mount Lucania is the third-highest mountain located entirely in Canada. A long ridge connects Mount Lucania with Mount Steele , the fifth-highest in Canada. Lucania was named by the Duke of Abruzzi, as he stood on the summit of Mount Saint Elias on July 31, 1897, having just completed the first ascent. Seeing Lucania in the far distance, beyond Mount Logan, he immediately named it "after the ship on which the expedition had sailed from Liverpool to New York," the RMS Lucania.</p><br>
<p>The first ascent of Mount Lucania was made in 1937 by Bradford Washburn and Robert Hicks Bates. They used an airplane to reach Walsh Glacier, 2,670 m above sea level; the use of air support for mountaineering was novel at the time. Washburn called upon Bob Reeve, a famous Alaskan bush pilot, who later replied by cable to Washburn, "Anywhere youll ride, Ill fly". The ski-equipped Fairchild F-51 made several trips to the landing site on the glacier without event in May, but on landing with Washburn and Bates in June, the plane sank into unseasonal slush. Washburn, Bates and Reeve pressed hard for five days to get the airplane out and Reeve was eventually able to get the airplane airborne with all excess weight removed and with the assistance of a smooth icefall with a steep drop. Washburn and Bates continued on foot to make the first ascent of Lucania, and in an epic descent and journey to civilization, they hiked over 150 mi through the wilderness to safety in the small town of Burwash Landing in the Yukon.</p><br>
<p>The second ascent of Lucania was made in 1967 by Jerry Halpern, Mike Humphreys, Gary Lukis, and Gerry Roach.</p><br>
<p>King Peak  is the fourth-highest mountain in Canada and the ninth-highest peak in North America. Situated just west of Mount Logan , in Yukon, it is considered a satellite peak of that massive mountain.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>The first ascent of King Peak was made in 1952 by some students from the University of Alaska. Russell Alston Paige, Keith Hart, Elton Thayer and Bill Atwood walked to the Ogilvie Glacier at the foot of Quartz Ridge where the majority of their supplies had been air dropped. They reached Camp 2 on the west ridge on June 3. After waiting two days for a storm to subside, Hart and Thayer set out for the summit while Atwood remained in camp due to a knee injury. After struggling with rock towers and icy crests, they reached the top on June 6.</p><br>
<p>The second and third ascents were also completed in 1952 by an American team who had also just made the first ascent of Mount Augusta. From the south side of King Peak, they made their way up to the east ridge occasionally traversing to the north side to avoid steep slopes. After two failed summit attempts on July 20 and 21, Pete Schoening and Gibson Reynolds succeeded in negotiating the gendarme that had rebuffed the failed attempts and reached the top on July 23. Schoening returned the next day with Dick McGowan and Bill Niendorff to complete the third ascent.</p><br>
<p>The Cook River / Weheka is in the South Island of New Zealand. The headwaters are from the La Perouse Glacier on the western flanks of the Southern Alps, and it flows west, then northeast, then northwest and into the Tasman Sea. Its tributaries include the Balfour River, fed by the Balfour Glacier, and the Fox River, fed by the Fox Glacier. Much of the river lies within the Westland Tai Poutini National Park.</p><br>
<p>The river was renamed from Cook River to Cook River / Weheka as a result of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.</p><br>
<p>Brown trout can be fished for in the river.</p><br>
<p>Access along the river by foot is difficult beyond the junction with the Balfour River. There are no approved helicopter landing sites in the river valley, but there are chamois, tahr and small numbers of red deer available to hunters.</p><br>
<p>Mount Steele is the fifth-highest mountain in Canada and the eleventh-highest peak in North America reaching the height of 5,073 m. A lower southeast peak of Mt. Steele stands at 4,300 m.</p><br>
<p>It was named after Sir Sam Steele, the North-West Mounted Police officer in charge of the force in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush.</p><br>
<h2>First ascent in 1935</h2><br>
<p>Walter A. Wood led a team consisting of Foresta Wood (Walter&#39;s wife), Swiss guide Hans Fuhrer, Joseph W. Fobes, Harrison Wood and I. Pearce Hazard. The expedition approached the peak on the eastern side from Kluane Lake. Base camp was established at the foot of the Steele Glacier with horses carrying loads to Advance Base Camp (known as Camp 6) further along the glacier. ABC provided good views of the mountain and the team decided on the east ridge as their line of ascent.</p><br>
<p>After waiting for the weather to improve after heavy snowfalls, a four-man team consisting of Walter Wood, Harrison Wood, Fuhrer and Forbes left Camp 8 at the base of the ridge. Their plan to was to make a 2,440 m push to the summit. After steady upwards progress, deteriorating weather forced them to return to Camp 8 where they waited out a five-day storm which dumped over a metre of fresh snow. They started out again on August 15 and the ascent was made easier this time by windblown and hard steep snow slopes rather than steep soft snow on their earlier attempt. At 4,570 m, a plateau of wretched snow forced the team to crawl on all fours. Walter Wood commented:</p><br>
<p>Alternating the lead every 100 paces, they made their way from the plateau to the top, finally reaching the summit at 2:30 pm. The team enjoyed a blissful thirty minutes of windless conditions on top before beginning their descent.</p><br>
<p>The Sabine River is in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located in Nelson Lakes National Park.</p><br>
<p>There are two branches to the river—East Sabine and West Sabine. The West Sabine drains Lake Constance and the Blue Lake. The two branches join at the Sabine Forks, and flow into Lake Rotoroa. Apart from the upper reaches, which is open tussock and scrub, the river is set within unmodified beech forest. It is not a navigable river due to the rocky cascades along most of its length.</p><br>
<p>A tramping track runs along the river and forms the western branch of the Travers-Sabine tramping circuit. This route usually starts from Saint Arnaud at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti. It follows the course of the Travers River, goes up over the sub alpine Travers Saddle (1787 metres), and then descends along the East Sabine Valley and Sabine Valley to Lake Rotoroa. A track also ascends the West Sabine to Blue Lake. This route continues over the Waiau Pass, eventually connecting with the St James Walkway and Lewis Pass.</p><br>
<p>Three tramping huts are located in the Sabine Valley: Sabine Hut (on the shore of Lake Rotoroa, near the mouth of the Sabine); West Sabine Hut (near the Sabine Forks); and Blue Lake Hut.</p><br>
<h2>Ecology</h2><br>
<p>There is a diversity of flora and birdlife within the Sabine River Valley.</p><br>
<p>Mount Stanley is a mountain located in the Rwenzori range. With an elevation of 5,109 m , it is the highest mountain of both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and the third highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro  and Mount Kenya . The peak and several other surrounding peaks are high enough to support glaciers. Mount Stanley is named for the journalist and explorer, Sir Henry Morton Stanley. It is part of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, a UNESCO world Heritage Site.</p><br>
<p>Mt. Stanley consists of two twin summits and several lower peaks:</p><br>
<h2>Expeditions</h2><br>
<h3>First Successful Attempt</h3><br>
<p>Mt. Stanley was first climbed in 1906 by Duke of the Abruzzi, J. Petigax, C. Ollier, and J. Brocherel. Margherita Peak is named after Queen Margherita of Italy.</p><br>
<p>Connoquenessing Creek is a tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 50 mi  long, in Western Pennsylvania in the United States.</p><br>
<h2>Course</h2><br>
<p>It rises in eastern Butler County and flows southwest, through the Lake Oneida reservoir and past Butler, then WNW in a meandering course past Eidenau where Breakneck Creek is received, and then continuing past Harmony and Zelienople. It receives Slippery Rock Creek from the northwest near Ellwood City, then joins the Beaver west of Ellwood City, approximately 3 mi (5 km) further downstream.</p><br>
<h2>Watershed</h2><br>
<p>In 2000, a scientific study was conducted to determine the health of the creek. Researchers discovered that only the Mississippi River received more toxic materials than the Connoquenessing, making the small river the second most polluted waterway in the United States. "The Armco Inc. steel facility in Butler, purchased last September by AK Steel, ranked first nationally for the amount of pollutant discharges. The steelmaker legally discharged more than 29 million pounds of nitrate compounds -- a waste produced when nitric acid is used to "pickle" or clean the surface of raw steel—into Connoquenessing Creek."</p><br>
<p>However, as of 2010, the Connoquenessing Creek was not listed in the national Top 10 for polluted waterways. Also, as of 2010, Armco Inc. steel in Butler was not listed in the Top 20 in regards to national pollutant dischargers.</p><br>
<p>The creek is a popular canoeing and kayaking destination, with many boaters entering the creek at various locations.</p><br>
<p>Gardiners Bay is a small arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 10 mi  long and 8 mi  wide in the USA state of New York between the two flukelike peninsulas at the eastern end of Long Island. It is bounded on its eastern end, where it connects to Block Island Sound, by Gardiners Island and Promised Land.</p><br>
<p>Adjoining harbors include Three Mile Harbor, Clearwater beach, Acabonack Harbor, and Lazy Point&#39;s Napeague harbor. Native fish include; Striped Bass, Bluefish, Fluke, Yellowtail, flounder, blackfish, weakfish, Porgy, sea Robbin, and sea skate. The area is fed by the nearby estuaries of Three mile Harbor, Acabonack Creek, and Napeague, which produce ideal environments for shellfish and crustaceans. Blue claw crab, oysters, and hard shell clams, scallops, and conch are abundant throughout these areas.</p><br>
<p>It is bounded on the western end by Shelter Island. It connects by two channels at the north and south end of Shelter Island to Great Peconic Bay. During the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, the bay was controlled by the British, who used Gardiners Island to store provisions. The British fleet assembled in Cherry Harbor in the bay before sailing to Chesapeake Bay to attack Washington, D.C. and burn the United States Capitol.</p><br>
<p>Gardiners Bay is part of the Peconic Estuary and received the designation as an Estuary of National Significance from the USA Environmental Protection Agency in 1993.</p><br>
<h2>Pop Culture References</h2><br>
<p>Gardiners Bay is mentioned in the song "The Downeaster Alexa" by Billy Joel.</p><br>
<p>The Beaver River is a tributary of the Ohio River in Western Pennsylvania in the United States with a length of approximately 21 mi . It flows through a historically important coal-producing region north of Pittsburgh. The Beaver River is formed in Lawrence County by the confluence of the Mahoning and Shenango rivers at a point approximately 3 mi  southwest of New Castle. It flows generally south, past West Pittsburg and Homewood. It receives Connoquenessing Creek west of Ellwood City and flows past Beaver Falls and New Brighton. It joins the Ohio at Bridgewater and Rochester  at the downstream end of a sharp bend in the Ohio approximately 20 mi  northwest of  Pittsburgh. In the lower reaches near the Ohio River, the Beaver cuts through a gorge of underlying sandstone. The river is roughly parallel to the border with the state of Ohio, with both Interstate 376 and Pennsylvania Route 18 running parallel to the river itself.</p><br>
<p>The river, which flows throughout the northern half of Beaver County, serves as the namesake of the county as well as several locales in both Beaver and Lawrence County. The river itself was either named for King Beaver of the Delaware tribe that was native to the area, or for the animal itself. Until the partition of Lawrence County from parts of Beaver and Mercer County in 1849, the river was entirely located in Beaver County, with its upstream terminus being at the border between Beaver and Mercer County from 1800-1849.</p><br>
<h2>Communities along the river</h2><br>
<p>West Pittsburg, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Wampum, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Koppel, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Homewood, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Eastvale, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>New Brighton, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Fallston, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Rochester, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Bridgewater, Pennsylvania</p><br>
<p>Gaurishankar  is a mountain in the Himalayas, the second highest peak of the Rolwaling Himal, behind Melungtse . The name comes from the Hindu goddess Gauri, a manifestation of Durga, and her Consort Shankar, denoting the sacred regard to which is afforded it by the peoples of Tibet and Nepal. The Buddhist Sherpas call the mountain Jomo Tseringma.</p><br>
<h2>Location</h2><br>
<p>Gaurishankar lies near the western edge of the Rolwaling Himal, about 100 km northeast of Kathmandu. (It is almost directly between Kathmandu and Mount Everest, and is visible from Kathmandu.) To the west of the peak lies the valley of the Bhote Kosi, the western boundary of the Rolwaling Himal. To the north lies the Menlung Chu, which separates it from its sister peak Melungtse. To the south lies the Rolwaling Chu, which leads up to the Tesi Lapcha pass, giving access to the Khumbu region. It is in Dolakha District.</p><br>
<h2>Notable features</h2><br>
<p>The mountain has two summits, the northern (higher) summit being called Shankar (a manifestation of Shiva) and the southern summit being called Gauri (a manifestation of Shiva&#39;s consort). It rises dramatically above the Bhote Kosi only 5 km away, and is protected on all sides by steep faces and long, corniced ridges.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>The first attempts to climb Gauri Sankar were made in the 1950s and 1960s but weather, avalanches and difficult ice faces defeated all parties. From 1965 until 1979, the mountain was officially closed for climbing. When permission was finally granted in 1979, an American-Nepalese expedition finally managed to gain the top,</p><br>
<p>via the West Face. This was a route of extreme technical difficulty. The permit from the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism stipulated that the summit could only be reached if an equal number of climbers from both nations were on the summit team. John Roskelley and Dorje Sherpa fulfilled that obligation.</p><br>
<p>In the same year, a British-Nepalese expedition led by Peter Boardman climbed the long and difficult Southwest Ridge. Boardman, Tim Leach, Guy Neidhardt, and Pemba Lama made it to the south "Gauri" summit (7010m. ) on November 8, 1979. Though they did not make the long additional traverse to the main "Shankar" summit, their climb was a significant achievement in itself.</p><br>
<p>In 1983 Gaurishankar was reached again by a Slovenian team. The main summit (7134m) was reached on November 1 by Slavko Cankar (expedition leader), Bojan Šrot and Smiljan Smodiš; and three days later by Franco Pepevnik and Jože Zupan. They climbed the left side of the South Face to reach the Southwest Ridge, then continuing to the main summit.</p><br>
<p>The Himalayan Index lists only two additional ascents of the main summit of Gauri Sankar. The second ascent was made in the spring of 1984 by Wyman Culbreth and Ang Kami Sherpa, via a new route on a ridge on the southwest face. The third ascent (and the first winter ascent), in January 1986, was by South Korean Choi Han-Jo and Ang Kami Sherpa.</p><br>
<p>In the fall of 2013, the complete south face was finally climbed by a four-man team of French climbers. After reaching the top of the south face at 4 pm on October 21, they decided not to continue to the 7,010 m south summit. It took them 11 hours to descend to the bottom of the face.</p><br>
<h2>Photo gallery</h2><br>
<h2>Footnotes</h2><br>
<p>Melungtse  is the highest mountain of the Rolwaling Himal in the Himalayas.</p><br>
<p>The peak has a long summit ridge capped by the east (main) summit and the west summit, also known as Melungtse II, 7,023m. The mountain&#39;s steep faces make it more difficult than its elevation would suggest.</p><br>
<h2>Location</h2><br>
<p>Melungtse lies just north of the Nepal–China border, on a western spur ridge coming out of the main north-south trending ridge of the Rolwaling Himal, in Tingri County, Shigatse Prefecture of Tibet. To the southwest, across the Menlung Chu, lies Gauri Sankar, which, though a bit lower (7134 m), is much more visible from Nepal, hence better-known. Melungtse lies about 40 km west of Mount Everest.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>Melungtse was off limits to climbing until quite recently. The first attempt was made in Oct 1982 when Bill Denz made a strictly illegal attempt on the southeast ridge, after sneaking over the border from Nepal&#39;s Rolwaling Valley. However he turned back while still low on the route. In 1987 and 1988 Chris Bonington led two expeditions, with the second one succeeding in putting Andy Fanshawe and Alan Hinkes on the west summit, but did not climb the main summit. Another attempt in 1990, this time on the East Ridge of the main summit, failed well below the top.</p><br>
<p>The first ascent of the main peak came in 1992, and was an alpine style tour de force. Slovenians Marko Prezelj and Andrej Stremfelj ascended the dangerous, 2000m southeast face in less than two and a half days up and down.</p><br>
<p>The lists only one other attempt on Melungtse, a failed attempt via the North Face in 1999.</p><br>
<p>Gyachung Kang  is a mountain in the Mahalangur Himal section of the Himalaya, and is the highest peak between Cho Oyu  and Mount Everest . It lies on the border between Nepal and China. As the fifteenth-highest peak in the world, it is also the highest peak that is not eight thousand metres tall; hence it is far less well-known than the lowest of the eight-thousanders, which are only about 100 m  higher. The peak&#39;s lack of significant prominence  also contributes to its relative obscurity.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>The mountain was first climbed on April 10, 1964 by Y. Kato, K. Sakaizawa and Pasang Phutar and on the next day by K. Machida and K. Yasuhisa.</p><br>
<p>The north face was first climbed in 1999 by a Slovene expedition and was repeated by Yasushi Yamanoi in 2002.</p><br>
<h2>View</h2><br>
<p>Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India, and the highest located entirely within the country.  It is the 23rd-highest peak in the world. It was considered the highest mountain in the world before computations in 1808 proved Dhaulagiri to be higher. It was also the highest mountain in India before 1975 when Sikkim, the state in which Kangchenjunga is located, joined the Republic of India. It is part of the Garhwal Himalayas, and is located in the state of Uttarakhand, between the Rishiganga valley on the west and the Goriganga valley on the east. The peak, whose name means "Bliss-Giving Goddess", is regarded as the patron-goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalaya. In acknowledgment of its religious significance and for the protection of its fragile ecosystem, the peak as well as the circle of high mountains surrounding it—the Nanda Devi sanctuary—were closed to both locals and climbers in 1983. The surrounding Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.</p><br>
<h2>Description and notable features</h2><br>
<p>Nanda Devi is a two-peaked massif, forming a 2 km high ridge, oriented east-west. The western summit is higher, and the eastern summit is called Sunanda Devi formerly known as Nanda Devi East is the lower one. The main summit stands guarded by a barrier ring comprising some of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalayas, twelve of which exceed 6,400 m ( 6.4Km) in height, further elevating its sacred status as the daughter of the Himalaya in Indian myth and folklore. The interior of this almost insurmountable ring is known as the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, and is protected as the Nanda Devi National Park. Sunanda Devi lies on the eastern edge of the ring (and of the Park), at the border of Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts.</p><br>
<p>Together the peaks may be referred to as the peaks of the goddesses Nanda and Sunanda These goddesses have occurred together in ancient Sanskrit literature (Srimad Bhagvatam or Bhagavata Purana) and are worshipped together as twins in the Kumaon, Garhwal and as well as elsewhere in India. The first published reference to Nanda Devi East as Sunanda Devi appears to be in a recent novel (Malhotra 2011) that has the Kumaon region as backdrop.</p><br>
<p>In addition to being the 23rd highest independent peak in the world, Nanda Devi is also notable for its large, steep rise above local terrain. It rises over 3,300 m above its immediate southwestern base on the Dakkhini Nanda Devi Glacier in about 4.2 km, and its rise above the glaciers to the north is similar. This makes it among the steepest peaks in the world at this scale, closely comparable, for example, to the local profile of K2. Nanda Devi is also impressive when considering terrain that is a bit further away, as it is surrounded by relatively deep valleys. For example, it rises over 6,500 m above the valley of the Goriganga in only 50 km.</p><br>
<p>On the northern side of the massif lies the Uttari Nanda Devi Glacier, flowing into the Uttari Rishi Glacier. To the southwest, one finds the Dakkhini Nanda Devi Glacier, flowing into the Dakkhini Rishi Glacier. All of these glaciers are located within the Sanctuary, and drain west into the Rishiganga. To the east lies the Pachu Glacier, and to the southeast lie the Nandaghunti and Lawan Glaciers, feeding the Lawan Gad; all of these drain into the Milam Valley. To the south is the Pindari Glacier, draining into the Pindar River. Just to the south of Sunanda Devi, dividing the Lawan Gad drainage from the Dakkhini Nanda Devi Glacier, is Longstaff Col, 5,910 m, one of the high passes that guard access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. For a list of notable peaks of the Sanctuary and its environs, see Nanda Devi National Park.</p><br>
<h2>Exploration and climbing history</h2><br>
<p>The ascent of Nanda Devi necessitated fifty years of arduous exploration in search of a passage into the Sanctuary. The outlet is the Rishi Gorge, a deep, narrow canyon which is very difficult to traverse safely, and is the biggest hindrance to entering the Sanctuary; any other route involves difficult passes, the lowest of which is 5,180 m. Hugh Ruttledge attempted to reach the peak three times in the 1930s and failed each time. In a letter to The Times he wrote that Nanda Devi imposes on her votaries an admission test as yet beyond their skill and endurance, adding that gaining entry to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary alone was more difficult than reaching the North Pole.</p><br>
<p>In 1934, the British explorers Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman, with three Sherpa companions, Angtharkay, Pasang, and Kusang, finally discovered a way through the Rishi Gorge into the Sanctuary.</p><br>
<p>When the mountain was later climbed in 1936 by a British-American expedition, it became the highest peak climbed by man until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, 8,091 m. (However higher non-summit elevations had already been reached by the British on Mount Everest in the 1920s, and it is possible that George Mallory reached Everest&#39;s summit in 1924.) It also involved steeper and more sustained terrain than had been previously attempted at such a high altitude. The expedition climbed the south ridge, also known as the Coxcomb Ridge, which leads relatively directly to the main summit. The summit pair were H. W. Tilman and Noel Odell; Charles Houston was to be in place of Tilman, but he contracted severe food poisoning. Noted mountaineer and mountain writer H. Adams Carter was also on the expedition, which was notable for its small scale and lightweight ethic: it included only seven climbers, and used no fixed ropes, nor any Sherpa support above 6,200 m. Eric Shipton, who was not involved in the climb itself, called it "the finest mountaineering achievement ever performed in the Himalaya."</p><br>
<p>After abortive attempts by Indian expeditions in 1957 and 1961, the second ascent of Nanda Devi was accomplished by an Indian team led by N. Kumar in 1964, following the Coxcomb route.</p><br>
<h3>CIA mission</h3><br>
<p>From 1965 to 1968, attempts were made by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in co-operation with the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB), to place a nuclear-powered telemetry relay listening device on the summit of Nanda Devi. This device was designed to intercept telemetry signals from missile test launches conducted in the Xinjiang Province, at a time of relative infancy in China&#39;s missile program. The expedition retreated due to dangerous weather conditions, leaving the device near the summit of Nanda Devi. They returned the next spring to search for the device, which ended without success. As a result of this activity by the CIA, the Sanctuary was closed to foreign expeditions throughout much of the 1960s. In 1974 the Sanctuary re-opened.</p><br>
<h3>Subsequent climbs</h3><br>
<p>A difficult new route, the northwest buttress, was climbed by a 13-person team in 1976. Three Americans, John Roskelley, Jim States, and Lou Reichardt, summitted on 1 September. The expedition was co-led by Lou Reichardt, H. Adams Carter (who was on the 1936 climb), and Willi Unsoeld, who climbed the West Ridge of Everest in 1963. Unsoeld&#39;s daughter, Nanda Devi Unsoeld, who was named after the peak, died on this expedition. She had been suffering from "diarrhea and flare-up of an inguinal hernia, which had shown up originally on the second day of the approach march", and had been at 7,200 m for nearly five days.</p><br>
<p>In 1980, the Indian Army Corps of Engineers made an unsuccessful attempt.</p><br>
<p>In 1981, the first women stood on the summit as part of a mixed Indian team, led by Col. Balwant Sandhu, Rekha Sharma, Harshwanti Bisht and Chandraprabha Aitwal, partnered by Dorjee Lhatoo, Ratan Singh and Sonam Paljor respectively, climbed on three ropes and summitted consecutively. The expedition was notable for the highest ascent ever made by Indian women up to that point in time, a descent complicated by retinal oedema and vision loss in the climbing leader and a subsequent failed claim of a solo ascent by a later member of the same expedition. All three women went on to Everest in 1984 but did not make the summit although Sonam Paljor and Dorjee Lhatoo did. Dorjee Lhatoo climbed Sunanda Devi in 1975, she also participated in the 1976 Indo-Japanese expedition.</p><br>
<p>This was followed in 1981 by another Indian Army expedition of the Parachute Regiment, which attempted both main and eastern peaks simultaneously. The expedition had placed a memorial to Nanda Devi Unsoeld at the high altitude meadow of Sarson Patal prior to the attempt. The successful attempt lost all its summitteers.</p><br>
<p>In 1993, a 40-member team of the Indian Army from the Corps of Engineers was given special permission. The aim of the expedition was multifold – to carry out an ecological survey, clean up the garbage left by previous expeditions, and attempt the summit. The team included a number of wildlife scientists and ecologists from Wildlife Institute of India, World Wide Fund for Nature and amongst others. The expedition carried out a comprehensive ecological survey and removed from the park, by porter and helicopter, over 1000 kilograms of garbage. Additionally, five summiteers scaled the summit: Amin Nayak, Anand Swaroop, G. K. Sharma, Didar Singh, and S. P. Bhatt.</p><br>
<h3>Partial timeline</h3><br>
<p>1934: First entry into the inner Sanctuary by Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman</p><br>
<p>1936: The first ascent of Nanda Devi by Odell and Tilman.</p><br>
<p>1939: First ascent of Sunanda Devi by Klarner, Bujak.</p><br>
<p>1951: Attempted traverse and death of Duplat and Vignes. Second ascent of Sunanda Devi.</p><br>
<p>1957: First Indian attempt on Nanda Devi led by Major Nandu Jayal.</p><br>
<p>1964: Second ascent of Nanda Devi by Indian team led by N. Kumar. Nawang Gombu, first man to climb Everest twice, climbs main peak in between his Everest climbs.</p><br>
<p>196?: Covert ascent by Indo-American expedition?</p><br>
<p>1975: A 13-member Indo-French expedition led by Y. Pollet-Villard including Coudray, Renault, Sandhu, and Chand ascend the western peak. Pollet-Villard, Cecchinel and Lhatoo climb eastern peak but do not complete traverse.</p><br>
<p>1976: Fifth successful ascent by 13-member Indo-American expedition. Three members (John Roskelley, Jim States, Lou Reichardt) reach summit despite extremely adverse conditions. Nanda Devi Unsoeld died from acute mountain sickness.</p><br>
<p>1976: A 21-member Indo-Japanese team approaches the south ridges of main peak and eastern peak simultaneously, and achieves the first traverse, going from Sunanda Devi to the main summit.</p><br>
<p>1980: An Indian Army expedition by the Corps of Engineers led by Jai Bahuguna unsuccessfully attempts the peak driven back by bad weather from 7600m.</p><br>
<p>1981: An Indian Army expedition by the Parachute Regiment attempts both main and eastern peaks simultaneously but has the highest ever number of casualties on the mountain.</p><br>
<p>1981: A second Indian-led expedition places women climbers on the peak.</p><br>
<p>1993: Indian Army team from the Corps of Engineers, led by V. K. Bhatt, succeeds in placing five summiteers on top, including Amin Naik, Anand Swaroop and. G. K. Sharma.</p><br>
<p>1995: International Army Expedition (HIMEX): India, Great Britain, Australia, United States, Nepal all took part in a climb to assess the mountain 13 years after its closure. The route was going to be the Polish route that went to Longstaff Col, over the eastern summit to the western and return. After the eastern summit the American Special Forces climber Jakob Nommensen fell to his death and disappeared in the Sanctuary; he has never been recovered. Two weeks prior to this even 1 Polish expedition turned back after losing their expedition leader while climbing the head-wall to the eastern summit.</p><br>
<p>2001: Indian Army Garhwal Rifles Expedition was undertaken in the post-monsoon season in Aug–Sep. Led by Col. Ajay Kothiyal with Samrat Sengupta as deputy leader, the expedition achieved success when two teams reached the summit on 26 & 27 Sep 2001 and placed eight members atop the Nanda Devi. The expedition also undertook the noble task of bringing back the garbage left by previous expeditions.</p><br>
<p>2007: An Indian Army expedition led by Major Shyamal Sinha of the Kumaon Regiment Centre, Ranikhet attempted to scale the eastern summit and clean up the trekking route by collecting the garbage, but Sinha and four other climbers went missing in bad weather after reporting on 26 September 2007 that they were going down to a lower camp. Sinha was a Kargil war hero who had won the Vir Chakra.</p><br>
<p>2013: In May 2013 a Tiny team attempted to Summit Nandadevi in tribute to Roger Payne who died on 12 Jul 2012. Team Consisted of 4 climbers, 2 climbing sherpas. They are Ananth HV from Bengaluru, Suman Guhaneogy from Chandannagar, Alok Das from Kolkata and Anindya Mukherjee from Belurmath, Howrah. Sherpa&#39;s are Thendup Sherpa and Temba Sherpa from Darjeeling. Team was unsuccessful to summit due to high wind faced at height of 7100m on 23 May 2013 forcing back to basecamp and making expedition as unsuccessful.</p><br>
<p>2014: After failure of 2013 expedition, Anindya Mukherjee who was also part of 2013 expedition attempted to summit with a team consisting of George Rodway (USA), Thendup Sherpa (India), Anindya Mukherjee (India), Temba Sherpa (High altitude supporter), Dup Tsering (High altitude supporter), Lhakpa Sherpa (Base Camp Cook) and Himanshu Pandey (Liaison Officer). On 3 July 2014, summit was reached by 4 members Thendup Sherpa, Anindya Mukherjee, Temba Sherpa and Dup Tsering. Team claims that they have bought some garbages from the summit that was left during previous expeditions.</p><br>
<h2>Recent history and conservation</h2><br>
<p>After the re-opening of the sanctuary in 1974 to foreign climbers, trekkers, and locals, the fragile ecosystem was soon compromised by firewood cutting, garbage, and grazing. Serious environmental problems were noted as early as 1977, and the sanctuary was closed again in 1983. The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks), are off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions, though a one-time exception was made in 1993 for a 40-member team from the Indian Army Corps of Engineers to check the state of recovery and to remove garbage left by prior expeditions. Sunanda Devi remains open from the east side, leading to the standard south ridge route.</p><br>
<p>Kala Patthar, meaning black rock in Nepali and Hindi, is a notable landmark located on the south ridge of Pumori in the Nepalese Himalayas above Gorakshep. Although not a proper mountain, with a prominence of only, the ascent of Kala Patthar is very popular with trekkers in the region of Mount Everest since it provides the most accessible closeup view of Everest. Due to the structure of the Everest Massif, its high summit is blocked by Nuptse from much of the surrounding region. The views of Everest, Nuptse and Changtse are spectacular from Kala Patthar and there are glimpses of the northern flank and summit of Lhotse. The world&#39;s highest webcam, Mount Everest webcam, is located here.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>The ascent of Kala Patthar begins at Gorakshep (5,164 m), the original base camp for Mt. Everest. After a brief dip to an ancient lake bed (which now contains a small lake and a helipad), the ascent makes its way up a series of steep switchbacks before levelling off somewhat as it traverses to the eastern side of the mountain. The trail then becomes steep once again until it reaches the wind-swept summit ridge. From there, a five- to ten-minute scramble over boulders takes one to the top, which is marked with prayer flags. There is also a geocaching YETI attached near the summit. GS9EBG. The full ascent usually takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. If the attempt is made starting from Lobuche, an additional two to three hours (one way) is required.</p><br>
<p>The elevation is commonly listed as 5,545 -. One source lists the height as 5,600 meters/18,373 feet. Portland State University Assistant Professor Dr. Luis A. Ruedas took a Garmin eMap GPS unit to the summit on 6 December 2006. These units have the capability to average a series of individual satellite readings, making them more accurate than single reading machines. Averaging 48 readings at 0625h Nepal local time, temperature −20 °C, the GPS recorded the location of the summit as 27°59.750N, 86°49.705E (datum: WGS84), and elevation as 5,643 m. Even accounting for the fact that the summit may have approximately one meter of stones added as a celebratory cairn, this is a significant discrepancy with previously recorded elevations. The same unit was consistent with respect to previously recorded elevations for Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp. In October 2008, a GPS with WAAS recorded the summit at 27°59.751N, 86°49.705E (datum: WGS84) with an elevation of 5,644.5 m, confirming the 2006 data.</p><br>
<p>It is possible that since Kala Patthar is merely a minor summit on a ridge leading to Pumori, different people may have measured different summits. There is a minor summit along this ridge near 27°59.51N, 86°49.62E with an elevation of approximately 5,545 m. The summit traditionally referred to as Kala Patthar is, however, completely festooned with prayer flags, making it quite readily recognizable. It is that summit that was recorded as 5,643 m. It is quite clear that the point trekkers climb to is a local maxima on the Pumori ridge, not the summit of Kala Patthar proper. This point is clearly higher than the summit of Kala Patthar, but the name has remained in popular use.</p><br>
<h2>Climate change</h2><br>
<p>In December 2009, Madhav Kumar Nepal and the Nepali Cabinet held a short cabinet meeting at the base of Kala Patthar as a response to climate change.</p><br>
<p>Kusum Kanguru  is a mountain in the Khumbu Region of the Himalaya in Nepal. Its name, Kusum Kanguru, means "Three Snow-White Gods" in the Sherpa language, which refers to the triple summit of the mountain.</p><br>
<p>The main north-south ridge of Kusum Kanguru forms the border between the Dudh Khosi to the west and the Hinku Valley to the east. The mountain is the main source of the Kusum Khola (or Thado Koshi Khola) which flows westward to merge into the Dudh Khosi at the village of Thado Koshi. Kusum Kanguru is one of the first high snowy mountains that is seen when trekking from Jiri to Mount Everest base camp.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>With an altitude of 6,367 metres (6,369m or 6,370m according to other map sources), the mountain is classified as a trekking peak, but it is considered one of the most difficult to climb. Out of twenty two attempts between 1978 and 1998, nine successful expeditions have been reported.</p><br>
<p>After four previously unsuccessful attempts by British, Japanese and two prior New Zealand expeditions, a Japanese expedition led by Ken Kanazawa reached the subsidiary northeast summit on 9 October 1979.</p><br>
<p>The first successful ascent of the main summit was made by Bill Denz of New Zealand on 7 October 1981, climbing the southwest buttress (west face), and descending the northwest flank. Denz did not only realise the first ascent, but also the first solo ascent and the first traverse of Kusum Kanguru. Five days later, on 12 October 1981, a Japanese team made the second ascent via the southeast face.</p><br>
<p>In the subsequent years, new routes have been opened, all of them technically very challenging.</p><br>
<p>1988 British Expedition led by Nick Mason conquered the previously unclimbed East Face. Expedition doctor was Rob Howarth who later worked in support of Everest Mountain Marathons. Expedition was filmed by Warwick Partington, former ITV & Channel 4 TV director before he later worked on Sky News.</p><br>
<p>Imja Tse, better known as Island Peak, is a mountain in Sagarmatha National Park of the Himalayas of eastern Nepal. The peak was named Island Peak in 1951 by Eric Shipton&#39;s party since it appears as an island in a sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche. The peak was later renamed in 1983 to Imja Tse but Island Peak remains the popular choice. The peak is actually an extension of the ridge coming down off the south end of Lhotse Shar.</p><br>
<p>Imja Tse was first climbed in 1953 as part of a training exercise by a British expedition that went on to summit Mount Everest which included Charles Evans, Alf Gregory, Charles Wylie and Tenzing Norgay, with seven Sherpas.</p><br>
<p>Imja Tse is a popular mountaineering objective for climbers in Nepal, with its standard climbing route having the difficulty rating of Alpine PD+. The peak is typically climbed in a round trip from Kathmandu in 20 days.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing route</h2><br>
<p>To climb Island Peak, one has the option of starting from a base camp at 5,087 m called Pareshaya Gyab and starting the climb between 2 and 3 am. Another popular option is to ascend to High Camp at around 5,600 m to reduce the amount of effort and time needed for summit day. However, adequate water supply and concerns about sleeping at a higher altitude may dictate starting from base camp. Base camp to high camp is basically a hike but just above high camp, some rocky steps require moderate scrambling and up through a broad open gully. At the top of the gully, glacier travel begins and proceeds up to a steep snow and ice slope. From here, fixed ropes may be set up by the guides for the strenuous ascent of nearly 100 m to the summit ridge. The climb to the summit is somewhat difficult due to steep climbing. On top, while Mount Everest is a mere ten kilometres away to the north, the view will be blocked by the massive wall of Lhotse, towering 2,300 m above the summit.</p><br>
<h3>Headwall crevasse</h3><br>
<p>A substantial crevasse along most of the headwall leading to the summit ridge has sometimes caused teams to turn back. In April 2009, the Nepal Mountaineering Association tasked the Nepal Mountaineering Instructors&#39; Association with installing stairs (ladders) at the crevasse. As of the 2016 fall climbing season, a 5-meter high fixed aluminum ladder is being used to cross the crevasse.</p><br>
<p>The Haast River has its terminus on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.</p><br>
<p>The grassy flats on the lower reaches are grazed by cattle by the local farmers. Tourism operators offer jetboat tours on the river.</p><br>
<p>The river often has glacial silt in suspension in the water from glaciers in the Southern Alps. The majority of the surrounding land is publicly owned and administered by the Department of Conservation. It is set within the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.</p><br>
<p>State Highway 6 follows virtually the complete length of the river, with a bridge near the coast, just after the turnoff to the Haast township. At 737 m it is the longest one-lane road bridge in New Zealand, and the 7th longest New Zealand bridge overall.</p><br>
<p>The river is named after Julius von Haast.</p><br>
<p>The Haast Pass , a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, takes its name from Julius von Haast, a 19th-century explorer who also served as Provincial Geologist for the Provincial government of Canterbury. Māori used the pass in pre-European times, but not on a regular basis.</p><br>
<p>It is one of the three passes where a road crosses over the Southern Alps - alongside the Lewis Pass and Arthur&#39;s Pass, although the Homer Tunnel passes under the Main Divide. The road through Haast Pass (State Highway 6) was converted from a rough track to a formed road in 1966. and finally received a complete tarmac surface by 1995. In the early 20th century, a railway from the West Coast through the pass to Otago was considered; it would have linked the Ross Branch with the Otago Central Railway, which then terminated in Omakau. However, the line never came to fruition; the Otago Central Railway terminated in Cromwell and no railway was built south of Ross, just a lightly laid bush tramway to serve logging interests near Lake Ianthe.</p><br>
<p>Geoffrey B. Churchman and Tony Hurst, Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History (Auckland: HarperCollins, 1991), 193.</p><br>
<p>The Haast Pass rises to a height of 562 metres above sea level at the saddle between the valleys of the Haast and Makarora Rivers. As such, it is the lowest of the passes traversing the Southern Alps. No settlements exist on the Haast Pass road between Haast and Makarora. The road passes through predominantly unmodified beech forest. The pass itself lies within the limits of Mount Aspiring National Park and forms part of the boundary between Otago and the West Coast.</p><br>
<p>Three Pagodas Pass  is a pass in the Tenasserim Hills on the border between Thailand and Burma , at an elevation of 282 m. The pass links the town of Sangkhla Buri in the north of Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, to the town of Payathonsu in the south of Kayin State, Myanmar.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>The pass is named after three small, crumbling stupas or chedis which were probably built at the end of Ayutthaya period as a symbol of peace. They are now on the Thai side of the border. Parts of the border are still disputed. These three chedis appear in the provincial seal of Kanchanaburi Province in stylized form. The pass gives its name to the Three Pagodas Fault.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>This pass has been the main land route into western Thailand since ancient times, and is believed be the point at which Buddhist teachings reached the country from India in the 3rd century.</p><br>
<p>During the Ayutthaya period in Thai history (14th-18th centuries), the pass was the main invasion route for the Burmese, but at times was also used against them by Siamese armies. The first was the Burmese invasion in 1548, part of the Burmese–Siamese War of 1548.</p><br>
<p>During World War II, Japan built the infamous Death Railway (officially Taimen - Rensetsu Tetsudo) through the pass. There is a memorial to commemorate the thousands of Australian prisoners of war who (with other Allied prisoners and Asian civilians) died as forced labourers in the construction of the railway.</p><br>
<p>The region is home to several hill tribes, including Karens and Mons, who are unable or unwilling to obtain citizenship from either country. Separatist armies have repeatedly tried to take seize of the pass from Burma, with the Mons in effective control until 1990, when Burmese troops regained it.</p><br>
<h2>Tourism</h2><br>
<p>Three Pagodas Pass is popular with tourists, who are allowed to obtain a one-day visa from the Thai side to visit Payathonsu. Attractions on the Burmese side include wooden furniture, jade carvings, and textiles. Thai tourists are allowed in as of 2011, while other tourists are not, due to its status as a temporary border checkpoint which only allows day trips between the two neighbouring countries.</p><br>
<h2>Festivals</h2><br>
<p>With the rambling strutting roosters of the Buddhist temple of Wat Suwankhiri on a Payathonsu cliff near by, during April, Three Pagodas Pass becomes a site of the Songkran Festival with cockfights, Thai-Burmese kickboxing and various folk dancing.</p><br>
<p>The Little Conemaugh River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 30 mi  long, in western Pennsylvania in the United States.</p><br>
<p>The main branch rises in eastern Cambria County, along the western slope of the Appalachian ridge separating the watersheds of the Ohio and Susquehanna rivers. It flows west-southwest through the mountains, past Cassandra, Portage, and Summerhill, where it is joined by the South Fork Little Conemaugh River. It joins the Stonycreek River at Johnstown to form the Conemaugh.</p><br>
<h2>Mine drainage</h2><br>
<p>The river flows through scenic mountainous areas but is considered severely degraded by abandoned mine drainage – most notably, the Hughes bore hole</p><br>
<p>– from the long exploitation of the region&#39;s coal resources. The recovery of the river is an ongoing project of federal, state, and private agencies.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Only four navigable passes pierce the barrier range of the Appalachian Mountains in the United States, and the rivers headwaters begin on the western side of Tunnelhill, PA in northern Cambria County, Pennsylvania starting in Cresson Pass transited by the line of the Eastern Continental drainage divide. The river&#39;s upper valley falls off gradually enough for the terrain to form a natural transportation corridor, one navigable by muscle powered vehicles such as Indian travois and Conestoga Wagons. Consequently, when settlers pushed west from the Susquehanna basin, the waters falling or rising in the eastern side of the drainage divide, ran down through valleys Amerindians had used to travel to the connect the west to the east for centuries. When Pennsylvania made a bid to connect to the business opportunities its leaders saw in the new settlements growing rapidly in the Ohio Valley they launched the great engineering project of the Pennsylvania Canal System which connected through the valley to Johnstown, PA</p><br>
<p>The river was paralleled by the western inclines of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, connecting the two branches of Pennsylvania Main Line Canals, with the western terminus of the portage railroad at Johnstown. Created as part of the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works the Railway operated from its completion in 1834 until it was sold in 1854 to the Pennsylvania Railroad, which took over its right of ways. Thereafter, the rivers banks have hosted one of the most important rail transport corridors running East-West across the Appalachian Mountains</p><br>
<p>On May 31, 1889, a dam on the South Fork holding back a slightly longer than 2 mile reservoir failed, sending a wall of water down the Little Conemaugh at 40 mph (64 km/h) and up to 60 ft (18 m) high, resulting in the loss of 2,209 lives in the worst civilian disaster of the 19th century in the United States. The event is remembered to history as the Johnstown Flood.</p><br>
<p>Mount Tyree  is the second highest mountain of Antarctica located 13 kilometres northwest of Vinson Massif , the highest peak on the continent. It surmounts Patton Glacier to the north and Cervellati Glacier to the southeast.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Mt. Tyree was discovered in January 1958 during reconnaissance flights by the United States Navy VX-6 squadron, and mapped later that month by the Marie Byrd Land Traverse Party. The mountain was named for Rear Admiral David M. Tyree, who was commander of the USA Naval Support Force in Antarctica, from April 14, 1959 to November 26, 1962.</p><br>
<p>As of 2012, the summit had only been reached on five occasions, by a total of ten people, via three different routes: in January 1967 by John Evans and Barry Corbet (of Corbet&#39;s Couloir); in January 1989 by Terry ‘Mugs’ Stump; in 1997 by French alpinists Antoine de Choudens and Antoine Cayrol; and later in 1997 by Conrad Anker and Alex Lowe. On January 3, 2012 Hans Kammerlander, Robert Miller and Christian Stangl repeated the French route to make the fifth ascent. Out of ten mountaineers who successfully climbed Mt Tyree, three died in unrelated mountaineering accidents within four years of their respective ascents. The still-unclimbed south face is 2,000 m high and one of the largest walls in Antarctica.</p><br>
<p>On January 16, 2017, five climbers made the sixth ascent of Mt. Tyree by the Grand Couloir (French route). The Tyree 50/50 expedition included Richard Thurmer, Jr, Victor Saunders, Maria "Pachi" Paz Ibarra, Seth Timpano and Todd Tumolo. Richard Thurmer is the first amateur climber and second oldest man (age 61) to make the summit. Victor Saunders is the oldest man to summit Mt. Tyree (age 66). Maria "Pachi" Paz Ibarra is the first woman to reach the summit. The Tyree 50/50 expedition of January 2017 was the 50th anniversary of the first summit in January 1967 and the team increased the number of climbers on the summit by 50%.</p><br>
<p>https://antarctic-logistics.com/2017/02/24/ale-summits-mount-tyree/</p><br>
<p>The climbing season is November to January, when the sun is above the horizon 24 hours a day and the air is warmest—up to -30 &deg;C near the summit. Like the nearby Mount Vinson, the mountain may be accessed by the means of a 6-hour flight from Punta Arenas, Chile to Union Glacier Camp followed by a 200 km flight on a ski plane to the base of the mountain.</p><br>
<h2>Ascents</h2><br>
<h2>Maps</h2><br>
<p>Scale 1:250 000 topographic map. Reston, Virginia: US Geological Survey, 1988.</p><br>
<p>D. Gildea and C. Rada. Vinson Massif and the Sentinel Range. Scale 1:50 000 topographic map. Omega Foundation, 2007.</p><br>
<p>Mount Jackson  is a mountain that dominates the upland of the southern part of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is located in Palmer Land, within the Antarctic claims of Argentina, Chile and the United Kingdom. With an elevation of 3,184 m, Mount Jackson is the highest mountain in the Antarctic Peninsula and the British Antarctic Territory. Discovered by members of the United States Antarctic Service, 1939–41, it was named for Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States. The first ascent of Mount Jackson was made by a team led by John Crabbe Cunningham of the British Antarctic Survey  in 1964. Mount Jackson&#39;s geology was studied in 1972 as part of the Palmer Island investigations by a team of geologists.</p><br>
<p>Mount Jackson and the Welch Mountains demarcate the central Black Coast, which is dissected by many inlets and is bounded on the west by Dyer Plateau of central Palmer Land. The two mountains rise above the ice shelf with reliefs of about 1,200 - towards the east. They are interconnected by icefall zones forming a plateau with steep snow slopes. Mount Jackson rises from its southeast flanks, displaying a steeple summit, while the north flank is occupied by a vast cirque. Supraglacial moraines on the mountain&#39;s east side measure between 1 - in length and display boulders at their distal ends.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The first topographic mapping of Mount Jackson was carried out in November 1940 by a sledge party of the United States Antarctic Service (USAS). The ground survey was facilitated by aerial photographs and aerial observations. The height was estimated at 4,200 m, and the mountain was named Mount Ernest Gruening after the Governor of the Alaska Territory at that time, Ernest Gruening. USAS later renamed it Mount Jackson for the seventh President of the United States. President Jackson signed the bill into law authorizing the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–42. The expedition, led by Lt. Charles Wilkes, included exploration and surveying of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands, including Antarctica.</p><br>
<p>In November 1947, a Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) ground party based at Stonington Island observed Mount Jackson and estimated its height at 3,050 m, considerably lower and more accurate than the first estimate in 1940.</p><br>
<p>After the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey was renamed British Antarctic Survey in 1962, a series of depots were developed, including one at Mount Jackson. BAS members were successful in making many first ascents of the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula, and John Cunningham, who served at the BAS base at Adelaide Island, was the first to climb Mount Jackson. Traveling by dog sled for 400 mi, his team reached the summit on 23 November 1964.</p><br>
<p>A precise height of the summit was determined by a BAS survey party who ascended the peak during the austral summer of 1996–97.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The mountain is 3,184 m in height, and on the west side of the central Black Coast. The two mountains rise above the ice shelf with reliefs of about 1,200 - towards the east. They are interconnected by icefall zones forming a plateau with steep snow slopes. The northern part of the mountain system, which extends over 990 mi, covers most of the Antarctic Peninsula, and Mount Jackson is its highest peak.</p><br>
<p>Mount Jackson rises from its southeast flanks, displaying a steeple summit, while the north flank is occupied by a vast cirque. Supraglacial moraines on the mountain&#39;s east side measure between 1 - in length and display boulders at their distal ends. Mount Jackson and the Rowley Massif are separated by Odom Inlet. Cline Glacier drains eastern Mount Jackson before arriving at Odom Inlet.</p><br>
<p>Mount Jackson&#39;s geology was studied in 1972 as part of the Palmer Island investigations by a team of geologists. They identified various rock types and underlying volcanic activity. The relief of the west facing slopes is gentler when compared to the eastern side, characterized by a steep rocky face. Rock weathering is intense in the area spread with scree and felsenmeer. Fresh rock formations and bedrock disintegration are noted.</p><br>
<p>Mount Kirkpatrick is a lofty, generally ice-free mountain in Antarctica&#39;s Queen Alexandra Range. Located 8 km  west of Mount Dickerson, Mt. Kirkpatrick is the highest point in the Queen Alexandra Range, as well as in its parent range, the Transantarctic Mountains. Discovered and named by the British Antarctic Expedition , the mountain was named for a Glasgow businessman, who was one of the original supporters of the expedition. Mount Kilpatrick is an alternate name for this mountain.</p><br>
<h2>Mount Kirkpatrick as a fossil site</h2><br>
<p>Mount Kirkpatrick holds one of the most important fossil sites in Antarctica, the Hanson Formation. Because Antarctica used to be warmer and supported dense conifer and cycad forest and because all the continents were fused into a giant supercontinent called Pangaea, many ancient Antarctic wildlife share relatives elsewhere in the world. Among these creatures are tritylodonts, herbivorous mammal-like reptiles that are prevalent elsewhere at the time. A crow-sized pterosaur has been identified. In addition to these finds, numerous dinosaur remains have been uncovered. Fossils of dinosaurs resembling Plateosaurus, Coelophysis, and Dilophosaurus were excavated. Mount Kirkpatrick holds the first dinosaur scientifically named on the continent: the large predatory Cryolophosaurus. In 2004, scientists have even found partial remains of a large sauropod plant-eating dinosaur.</p><br>
<p>Glacialisaurus hammeri, an herbivorous dinosaur thought to be around 25 ft long and weighing perhaps 4-6 tons, was also identified from fossils on Mt. Kirkpatrick in 2007, the only known site of Glacialisaurus hammeri.</p><br>
<p>The Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 190 km long.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>The river&#39;s headwaters are located in the Eyre Mountains to the south of Lake Wakatipu. From there it flows southeast towards Gore, where it turns southward. It then passes through the town of Mataura, and enters the Pacific Ocean at Toetoes Bay on the southern coast of the South Island. Much of its channel is braided.</p><br>
<p>The Mataura is renowned as a source of brown trout, and is a popular fishing venue. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of the endangered black-billed gull.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The Mataura, along with the three other main Southland rivers, the Waiau, Oreti and Aparima, breached during the Southland floods of January 1984. Commercial and residential areas of the town of Mataura were particularly affected, including the pulp and paper plant. Until about 18,000 years ago the Mataura drained Lake Wakatipu. The Kingston Flyer follows part of the former river bed, now blocked by glacial moraine.</p><br>
<p>Mount Kerinci  is the highest volcano in Indonesia, and the highest peak on the island of Sumatra. It is surrounded by the lush forest of Kerinci Seblat National Park, home to the endangered species of Sumatran tiger and Sumatran rhinoceros.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Kerinci is located in the border of the titular Kerinci Regency of Jambi province and South Solok Regency of West Sumatra province, in the west central part of the island near the west coast, and is about 130 km south of Padang. It is part of the Barisan Mountains, a chain of volcanoes that span from the extreme northwest of the island (in Aceh province) all the way to the extreme southeast (in Lampung province). It is the most prominent feature of the terrain of Kerinci Seblat National Park, with pine-forested slopes rising 2,400-3,300 metres above the surrounding basin, and a cone 13 km wide and 25 km long at the base, elongated in the north-south direction. At the summit there is a deep 600 m wide crater, often partially filled by a small crater lake on the northeast side of the crater floor.</p><br>
<h2>Volcanic activity</h2><br>
<p>Kerinci is more active than most Indonesian volcanoes, with nearly annual phreatic eruptions. In 2004, Kerinci erupted and continues to spew clouds of sulphurous smoke, with plumes reaching as high as 1,000 m above the summit. In 2009, Kerinci erupted again and followed by June 2, 2013 eruption with 600 m spewed black smoke. There is farmland in the area, and a tea plantation on its southern slope, Kerinci, being located in an Indonesian national park, and perhaps out of respect for its frequent growlings as well, sits in an area that is sparsely populated by Indonesian population-density standards.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing</h2><br>
<p>Kerinci can be climbed from the village of Kersik Tuo, 6 or 7 hours away from Padang by car or bus. The climb and descent normally takes 2 days and 1 night, when choosing to go all the way to the summit. Climbers may also choose to go up only as far as Camp 2 or 3, skipping the summit attempt, which requires a pre-dawn climb.</p><br>
<p>Kerinci&#39;s terrain consists of thick jungle, and can get muddy and slippery even if there are only mild drizzles, which may occur occasionally even during the dry season. To climb the volcano a guide is needed, as there have been rare cases of people disappearing after attempting to trek alone.</p><br>
<h2>Lakes</h2><br>
<p>The Kerinci Seblat National Park has at least fifteen lakes of note, with the biggest being Kerinci Lake, followed by Gunung Tujuh Lake. The 4,200-hectares of Kerinci Lake lies at a height of 650 meters, and is the host of the annual Kerinci Lake Festival. Gunung Tujuh Lake (literally, Seven Mountains Lake) is a caldera lake formed in an extinct volcano, and is surrounded by seven peaks. It is also the highest lake in Southeast Asia at 1,996 meters.</p><br>
<h2>Kecik Wok Gedang Wok</h2><br>
<p>Based on research in 1973, the Kecik Wok Gedang Wok people are recognized as the first tribe to settle at a plateau around Mount Kerinci 10,000 years ago. Today, the Kecik Wong Gedang Wok people are limited due to assimilation with the Proto-Malay tribes which came later. There are around 135 dialects used only along the valley. This makes ethnographic analysis difficult to conduct.</p><br>
<p>The Bukit Barisan or the Barisan Mountains are a mountain range on the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia, covering nearly 1,700 km  from the north to the south of the island. The Bukit Barisan range consists primarily of volcanoes shrouded in dense jungle cover, including Sumatran tropical pine forests on the higher slopes. The highest peak of the range is Mount Kerinci at 3,800 metres . The Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park is situated towards the southern end of the range.</p><br>
<p>The name Bukit Barisan actually means "row of hills" or "hills that make a row" in Malay, for the range stretches end to end along the island of Sumatra.</p><br>
<p>There are 35 active volcanoes in Bukit Barisan. The largest volcano is the supervolcano Toba within the 100 km (62 miles) &times; 30 km (19 miles) Lake Toba, which was created after a caldera collapse (est. in 74,000 Before Present). The eruption is estimated to have been at level eight on the VEI scale, the largest possible for a volcanic eruption.</p><br>
<h2>List of volcanoes</h2><br>
<p>The following list is sourced from the Smithsonian Institution&#39;s Global Volcanism Program.</p><br>
<p>Kamet  is the second highest mountain in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, after Nanda Devi. It lies in the Chamoli District of Uttarakhand.</p><br>
<p>Its appearance resembles a giant pyramid topped by a flat summit area with two peaks.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing</h2><br>
<p>Due to its position near the Tibetan Plateau, Kamet is remote and not as accessible as some Himalayan peaks. It also receives a great deal of wind from the Plateau. However, by modern standards, it is a relatively straightforward ascent for such a high mountain. Early explorers of the region faced long approach marches of around 200 mi from Ranikhet through dense mountain forest; access is easier today.</p><br>
<p>While attempts to climb Kamet began in 1855, the first ascent was not made until 1931 by Frank Smythe, Eric Shipton, R.L. Holdsworth and Lewa Sherpa, members of a British expedition. Kamet was the first summit over 25,000 ft to be climbed, and was the highest summit reached until the first ascent of Nanda Devi five years later. (However, far higher non-summit altitudes had been reached on the north side of Mount Everest in the 1920s.)</p><br>
<p>The standard route begins from the East Kamet (or Purbi Kamet) Glacier, ascending via Meades Col (c. 7,100m/23,300 ft), the saddle between Kamet and its northern outlier Abi Gamin. From Meades Col the route ascends the northeast edge of the north face. The ascent to Meade&#39;s col involves steep gullies, a rock wall, and several glacier climbs. Five camps are usually placed en route. The final ascent to the summit involves steep snow, possibly icy.</p><br>
<h2>Neighboring and subsidiary peaks</h2><br>
<p>Kamet is surrounded by three principal neighboring or subsidiary peaks:</p><br>
<p>Mukut Parbat, 7,242 m (23,760 ft), prominence=840 m, 30&deg;57&prime;08&Prime;N latitude, 79&deg;34&prime;13&Prime;E longitude, northwest of Kamet. First ascent 1951 (see below). The lower of Mukut Parbat&#39;s twin summit has an elevation of 7,130 m (23,392 ft).</p><br>
<p>Abi Gamin, 7,355m (24,130 ft), prominence=217 m 30&deg;55&prime;57&Prime;N latitude, 79&deg;36&prime;09&Prime;E longitude, north-northeast of Kamet; connected to Kamet by Meade’s Col. First ascent 1950.</p><br>
<p>Mana, 7,272m (23,858 ft), prominence=720 m, 30&deg;52&prime;52&Prime;N latitude, 79&deg;36&prime;57&Prime;E longitude, south-southeast of Kamet. First ascent 1937.</p><br>
<p>Several adjoining peaks, such as Mana NW, 7,092 m, Point 6,977 m, Deoban, 6,855 m, and Bidhan Parbat, 6,519 m, also lie close to Kamet.</p><br>
<h2>Nomenclature</h2><br>
<p>There are varying explanations of the name "Kamet." C. F. Meade gives the pronunciation as, and claims that it is known to Tibetans as Kangmen, signifying "huge grandmother of a sacred snow chain". However, Frank Smythe writes in his book Kamet Conquered that the genesis of the name is from the Tibetan word Kangmed ("the lower snows", from kang, "snow", and med, "little"), as distinct from the "higher snows" of the Kailash range, 110 miles east of Kamet. (This range is slightly lower than Kamet, its highest peak being Gurla Mandhata, 7,728 m/25,355 ft; however it stands more fully on the high Tibetan Plateau). At dawn and dusk, "the copper colored rock of Mount Kamet reflecting the oblique rays of the sun on its hanging glaciers appears to set these glaciers aglow with crackling flames and bathes the mountain in a red burning glow". Hence the term "glacier fire" is also used as an allusion to the name Kamet.</p><br>
<h2>Partial timeline</h2><br>
<p>1848: Richard Strachey determines the height and location of Kamet, as well as the neighboring peaks Abi Gamin, Mukut Parbat, and Mana.</p><br>
<p>1855: German explorers and scientists Adolphe and Robert Schlagintweit, invited by the East India Company to make surveys, travel into Tibet in disguise. After being discovered and arrested, they return, and attempt Abi Gamin from Tibet (via the Abi Gamin Glacier), believing it to be Kamet. (This mistake hampers expeditions until 1912.) They claim to reach a height of 6,785 m (22,260 ft), which is extraordinary for this date.</p><br>
<p>1877: I. S. Pocock of the Survey of India, under E. C. Ryall, accurately surveys Kamet&#39;s position. However, he supports the inaccurate belief that Abi Gamin is a minor subpeak of Kamet and that a northern route to the summit is practical.</p><br>
<p>1907: Dr. T. G. Longstaff, Brig. Gen. C. G. Bruce and A. L. Mumm, with alpine guides Alexis and Henri Brocherel, make a preliminary reconnaissance of the eastern and western sides of Kamet. The highest point reached is 6,100 m (20,000 ft) above the East Kamet Glacier. Longstaff deems the East Kamet route as too dangerous due to avalanche risk.</p><br>
<p>1910-1911: C. F. Meade, with Alpine guides Alexis Brocherel and Pierre Blanc, and a separate expedition under Dr. A. M. Kellas, make a preliminary reconnaissance of the western side of the peak; they explore Khaiam Pass and Glacier.</p><br>
<p>1911: Capt. A. M. Slingsby attempt Kamet on the western side from Ghastoli Glacier (or West Kamet Glacier) via the col on the ridge between Abi Gamin and Mukut Parbat (subsequently named as Slingsby’s Col, 6,400 m/21,000 ft).</p><br>
<p>1912: Meade, with Alpine guides Franz Lochmatter of St. Niklaus in the canton Valais, Pierre Blanc, Justin Blanc and Jean Perrin, attempts Kamet by Slingsbys route, and also later explores the Raikhana glacier system to the east of Kamet. Meade concludes that the East Kamet Glacier is the only practicable route to Mt Kamets summit.</p><br>
<p>1913: Slingsby attempts the same route as in 1911 and reaches 7,000 m (23,000 ft). (He later dies in battle in Mesopotamia in 1916.)</p><br>
<p>1913: Meade, with Alpine guide Pierre Blanc, attempts Kamet from the eastern side and reaches Meade’s Col, 7,138 m. (23,420 ft).</p><br>
<p>1914: Kellas makes another reconnaissance of which no records are available, and which is probably abandoned midway due to the commencement of World War I.</p><br>
<p>1920: Kellas and Col. H. T. Morshead attempt Meade&#39;s 1913 route and reach a point slightly above Meade’s Col.</p><br>
<p>1931: The first ascent of Kamet, detailed above.</p><br>
<p>1937: Frank Smythe returns to the Bhyundar Valley and makes the solo first ascent of Mana on 12 August, through its south ridge from the plateau at the head of the Uttari Naktoni glacier. His companion P.R.Oliver stopped exhausted at 23000&#39;.</p><br>
<p>1950: An Anglo-Swiss expedition ascends Abi Gamin from its North East ridge.</p><br>
<p>1951: Mukut Parbat is climbed via the steep northwest ridge by a crack New Zealand team that includes Edmund Hillary, George Lowe (mountaineer), H. E. Riddiford (leader), F. M. Cotter and Pasang Dawa Lama. Summitters were Riddiford, Cotter and Pasang Dawa Lama.</p><br>
<p>1955: An Indian expedition from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling makes the second ascent of Kamet on 6 July. Major Narendra D. Jayal led the party; Jayal, Ang Tharkay, Da Namgyal, Ang Temba, and Hlakpa Dorje comprised the summit team. Their route followed the ridge linking Abi Gamin and Kamet.</p><br>
<p>1966: Mana is climbed on 19 September by a new route, the NW ridge from Purbi Kamet glacier which had rebuffed Smythe in 1937, by Pranesh Chakraborty, Pasang Phutar, Tshering Lhakpa, Pasang Tshering from Camp 5(c.22500&#39;).</p><br>
<p>1986 Kamet was scaled by Mountaineering Club from Mumbai - Girivihar on 11th June 1986. Leader - Shrikant Oka, Summiters - Anil Kumar and Sanjay Borole,</p><br>
<p>1995: Mana Northwest is scaled by members of a joint Indo-Tibetan Border Police–Japanese expedition after a tough technical wall climb.</p><br>
<p>2000: To mark the turn of century, Ruptaps Mountaineering Club from Asansol, West Bengal climbed Kamet on 3 October 2000. The summiters were Leader Gautam Mukherjee and Jasjeet Singh.</p><br>
<p>2006: A commemorative 75th anniversary expedition by the Kolkata Section of the Himalayan Club puts ten climbers on the summit of Kamet. (First ascensionist Frank Smythe was a Himalayan Club member.)</p><br>
<p>2008: The southeast face(6,000 ft) was climbed for the first time by two Japanese climbers, Kazuya Hiraide and Kei Taniguchi.</p><br>
<p>2010: An avalanche kills Lt Col C. Poornachandra and Maj Manish Gusain. They were a part of a 41-member Indian army team led by Col Ajay Kothiyal.</p><br>
<p>2012: The southwest face(2,000 m) was climbed for the first time by four French climbers, Sébastien Bohin, Didier Jourdan, Sébastien Moatti and Sébastien Ratel, following a route that they called Spicy Game.</p><br>
<h2>Glaciers and rivers</h2><br>
<p>The West (Pachmi or Paschimi) Kamet Glacier, the East (Purbi or Purva) Kamet Glacier and the Raikana Glacier systems surround Kamet. The branches of the West Kamet Glacier head on the western slopes of Kamet, Abi Gamin, and Mukut Parbat. The East Kamet Glacier flows from the eastern side of Kamet and Mana. The Raikhana glacier originates on the east side of Meade’s Col saddle, flows east of Abi Gamin, and unites with the East Kamet Glacier. The West Kamet Glacier drains into the Saraswati River while the East Kamet Glacier feeds the Dhauliganga River; both rivers are tributaries of the Alaknanda River, the major river of the Chamoli district.</p><br>
<h2>High altitude research</h2><br>
<p>A. M. Kellas and his companion H. T. Morshead conducted scientific studies during their 1920 Kamet expedition focusing on the physiology of high altitude travel and acclimatization, and on the possibility of using supplemental oxygen. These studies eventually proved useful on expeditions to Mount Everest.</p><br>
<p>Cholatse  is a mountain in the Khumbu region of the Nepalese Himalaya. Cholatse is connected to Taboche  by a long ridge. The Chola glacier descends off the east face. The north and east faces of Cholatse can be seen from Dughla, on the trail to Mount Everest base camp.</p><br>
<p>There is a lake just below this pass to the east, and in Tibetan cho is lake, la is pass, and tse is peak so Cholatse means literally "lake pass peak".</p><br>
<p>Cholatse was first climbed via the southwest ridge on April 22, 1982 by Vern Clevenger, Galen Rowell, John Roskelley, Bill O&#39;Connor and Peter Hackett. The north face was successfully scaled in 1984.</p><br>
<h2>Notable ascents</h2><br>
<p>2005 North Face - first solo ascent by Ueli Steck, April 15, 2005.</p><br>
<p>2005 Southwest Ridge - summit attained by Kevin Thaw, Conrad Anker, Kris Erickson, John Griber and Abby Watkins on May 12, 2005.</p><br>
<p>Mount Fairweather , is one of the world&#39;s highest coastal mountains at 4,671 metres . It is located 20 km east of the Pacific Ocean on the border of Alaska, United States and western British Columbia, Canada. Most of the mountain lies within Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in the City and Borough of Yakutat, Alaska , though the summit borders Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park, British Columbia , making it the highest point in that province. It is also designated as Boundary Peak 164 or as US/Canada Boundary Point #164.</p><br>
<p>The mountain was named on May 3, 1778 by Captain James Cook, apparently for the unusually good weather encountered at the time. The name has been translated into many languages. It was called "Mt. Beautemps" by La Perouse (1786, atlas), "Mte. Buen-tiempo" by Galiano (1802, map 3), "Gor-Khoroshy-pogody" on Russian Hydrographic Dept. Chart 1378 in 1847, and "G Fayerveder" by Captain Tebenkov (1852, map 7), Imperial Russian Navy. It was called "Schönwetterberg" by Constantin Grewingk in 1850 and "Schönwetter Berg" by Justus Perthes in 1882.</p><br>
<p>Fairweather was first climbed in 1931 by Allen Carpé and Terris Moore.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Mount Fairweather is located right above Glacier Bay in the Fairweather Range of the</p><br>
<p>Saint Elias Mountains. Mount Fairweather also marks the northwest extremity of the Alaska Panhandle.</p><br>
<p>Like many peaks in the St. Elias Mountains, Mount Fairweather has great vertical relief due to its dramatic rise from Glacier Bay. However, due to poor weather in the area, this effect is usually obscured with the clouds which often hides the summit from view.</p><br>
<p>Known in the Tlingit language as Tsalxhaan, it is said this mountain and Yaaséitaa Shaa (Mt. St. Elias) were originally next to each other but had an argument and separated. Their children, the mountains in between the two peaks, are called Tsalxhaan Yatx&#39;i (Children of Tsalxaan.)</p><br>
<h2>Weather</h2><br>
<p>Despite its name, Mount Fairweather has generally harsh weather conditions. It receives over 100 inches (254 cm) of precipitation each year (mostly snow) and sees temperatures of around -50 °F (-46 °C).</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>1931 Allen Carpe and Terris Moore summited via the Southeast Ridge on June 8, 1931</p><br>
<p>1958 Paddy Sherman and 7 other Canadians reached the summit via the SE Ridge on June 26, 1958.</p><br>
<p>1968 West Ridge, Loren Adkins, Walter Gove, Paul Myhre, John Neal and Kent Stokes - summit reached June 12, 1968</p><br>
<p>1973 Southwest Ridge, Peter Metcalf, Henry Florschutz, Toby O&#39;Brien and Lincoln Stoller. Summit reached on 10 July 1973.</p><br>
<h2>Further reading</h2><br>
<p>Mount Caubvick  is a mountain located on the border between Labrador and Quebec in the Selamiut Range of the Torngat Mountains. Mount Caubvick is the highest point in mainland Canada east of Alberta. The mountain contains a massive peak that rises sharply from nearby sea level. Craggy ridges, steep cirques and glaciers are prominent features of the peak.</p><br>
<p>The alp was named Mont D&#39;Iberville by the Quebec government in 1971. It remained nameless on the Labrador side for several years; it became known unofficially as L1, L for Labrador and 1 for highest. In 1981, at the suggestion of Dr. Peter Neary, the provincial government named the mountain after Caubvick, one of the five Inuit who accompanied George Cartwright to England in 1772.</p><br>
<p>Mount Caubvick also hosts the highest point in both the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec, although the summit itself lies about 10 m northeast of the Quebec provincial border and is entirely within Labrador.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing</h2><br>
<p>Due to difficult access (either via bush plane or boat) and unpredictable, snowy weather at any time of the year, there is no easy way to the top. The summit can be gained from the east by the Minaret Ridge or to the west by the Koroc Ridge. The final sections on both routes become technical in nature.</p><br>
<p>American climbers Michael Adler and Christopher Goetze were the first to scale the peak in 1973. The first Canadian party climbed the mountain on August 14, 1978. In that party were Ray Chipeniuk, Ron Parker, and Erik Sheer.</p><br>
<p>In August 2003, two climbers from Mississauga, Ontario perished during their descent from the summit. A search was initiated in late August when they failed to meet a plane at a pre-arranged location. The approaching winter weather forced an early end to the search in 2003. In August 2004, their bodies were discovered high up on the mountain. The most plausible scenario appears to be that one of the climbers became injured and was unable to continue the descent. The other climber made an attempt to seek help, taking an alternate route down and apparently fell about 150 feet down a steep headwall.</p><br>
<p>Erhai or Er Lake, is an alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Its name means "Ear-shaped Sea", due to its shape as seen by locals and travellers. Erhai was also known as Yeyuze or Kunming Lake in ancient times.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Erhai is situated at 1,972 m above sea level. In size, the North-South length of the lake is 40 km and the East-West width is roughly 7 -. Its area is 250 km², making it the second largest highland lake of China, after Dianchi Lake. Its circumference reaches 116 km, its average depth is of 11 m and the total storage capacity of 2.5 e9m3.</p><br>
<p>The lake serves as a backdrop to all of Dali City and sandwiches Dali Town in the west against the Cang Mountain. The lakes head is at Shangguan Town, its northern extremity, and its southernmost point is at Xiaguan Town. The lake receives water from the Miju and Mici Rivers in the north, the Bolou River in the east, and smallers streams from the Cang Mountains in the west. Yangbi River, to the south, is the lakes outlet and eventually flows into the Lancang River (Mekong River).</p><br>
<h2>Attractions</h2><br>
<p>The lakeshore can be explored by hiking. Highlights include Erhai Park and the Butterfly Springs on the Western bank. Islands on the lake &ndash; including Guanyin Ge, Jinsuo Island, Nanzhao Folklore Island and Xiaoputuo Island &ndash; are also available for visits.</p><br>
<p>The lake is an important food source for the local people (Bais), who are famous for their fishing method: their trained cormorants catch fish and return them to fishmongers. The birds are prevented from swallowing their fish by rings fixed around their neck.</p><br>
<h2>Biodiversity</h2><br>
<p>There is, or was, a rich biodiversity in Erhai. It is one of three major Yunnan lakes with a high number of endemics, the two other being Fuxian and Dian (Dianchi). Of the 23 fish species and subspecies known from Erhai, 8 are endemic: Cyprinus barbatus, C. daliensis, C. longipectoralis, C. megalophthalmus, Paracobitis erhaiensis, Poropuntius daliensis (syn. Barbodes daliensis), P. exiguus (syn. B. exigua) and Zacco taliensis (syn. Schizothorax taliensis). Among these, only C. barbatus and C. longipectoralis have been recorded since the year 2000; the remaining have not been recorded in decades and are likely extinct. A few of the non-endemic natives have also been extirpated from the lake. In contrast, the lake is now home to more than 10 introduced fish species.</p><br>
<p>A few native hydrophytes have also disappeared from the lake.</p><br>
<p>The lake used to be a royal deer ranch for the Nanzhao Kingdom.</p><br>
<p>The Escambray Mountains  are a mountain range in the central region of Cuba, in the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos and Villa Clara.</p><br>
<h2>Overview</h2><br>
<p>The Escambray Mountains are located in the south-central region of the island, extending about 80 km from east to west, and 80 km from north to south. Their highest peak, Pico San Juan, rises to 960 m above sea level. The Escambray range is divided into two sections by the Agabama River. The western part is called the Guamuhaya Mountains, and the eastern part, raising between Trinidad and Sancti Spiritus, is best known as Sierra de Sancti Spíritus. After Pico San Juan, the highest points are Caballete de Casas, Gavilanes, Loma de Banao, Caja de Agua, and Pico Tuerto.</p><br>
<p>Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park established in the south-eastern ranges of Escambray Mountains, protecting and showcasing caves, rivers, waterfalls, and canyons. The Valley de los Ingenios is developed at the south-eastern foot of the mountains, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</p><br>
<p>The mountains were the theater of the Escambray Rebellion in 1959–1965. It was also a planned refuge during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, however, it was never used as such</p><br>
<p>Murray Island, also called Mer in the native Meriam language, is a small island of volcanic origin, the most easterly inhabited island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, just north of the Great Barrier Reef. The island is populated by the Melanesian Meriam people, which has a population of around 485 as of. The Murray Group comprises three islands: Mer, Dauar and Waier.</p><br>
<p>There are eight Meriam clans: Komet, Zagareb, Meuram, Magaram, Geuram, Peibre, Meriam-Samsep, Piadram, and Dauer Meriam. The organisation of the island is based on the traditional laws of boundary and ownership. Administrative control of the island rest with the Torres Strait Regional Authority.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Murray Island, located in the eastern section of Torres Strait, is a basaltic island formed from an extinct volcano, which was last active over a million years ago. It formed as a result when the Indo-Australian Plate slid over the East Australia hotspot. The island rises to a plateau 80 m above mean sea level.</p><br>
<p>The highest point of the island is the 230 m Gelam Paser, the western end of the volcano crater. The island has red fertile soil and is covered in dense vegetation. The island has a tropical climate with a wet and dry season.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Pre-European settlement</h3><br>
<p>Murray Island has been inhabited for around 2800 years, the first settlers being Papuo-Austronesians who brought agriculture and pot making with them. Regular contact between the inhabitants of Torres Strait (including Murray Island, known by the Meriam people as Mer Island), Europeans, Asians and other outsiders began once the Torres Strait became a means of passage between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in the 19th Century.</p><br>
<p>The inhabitants of the Torres Strait, including the Meriam people, gained a reputation as fierce warriors and skilled mariners. Warfare (both intertribal and against European ships in transit through the Coral Sea) and head hunting were part of the culture of all Torres Strait islanders. The account of Jack Ireland, a surviving cabin boy from the barque Charles Eaton that was wrecked in 1834 at Detached Reef near the entrance to Torres Strait is of interest in this respect. He spent much of his time on Murray Island before being rescued.</p><br>
<p>A large ceremonial mask was recovered in 1836 from a neighbouring island - Aureed (Skull) Island, following his rescue and that of young William D&#39;Oyley, the only other survivor of the Charles Eaton, and their return to Sydney. The mask was made of turtle shells surrounded by numerous skulls, seventeen of which were determined as having belonged to the crew and passengers of the Charles Eaton who were massacred when they came ashore following the shipwreck. The mask was entered into the collection of the Australian Museum after the skulls were buried on 17 November 1836 in a mass grave in the Sydney cemetery in Devonshire Street. An appropriate monument - in the form of a huge altar stone - recording the catastrophe by which they perished was erected. When the Devonshire Street Cemetery was resumed for the site of the Central Railway Station in 1904 the skulls and the monument were removed to Bunnerong Cemetery at Botany Bay Sydney.</p><br>
<h3>Post European settlement (1872)</h3><br>
<p>Missionaries (mainly Polynesian) and some other Polynesians began to settle on the island in 1872 when the London Missionary Society founded a missionary school there. The Queensland Government annexed the islands in 1879. Tom Roberts, the well-known Australian painter, visited the island in 1892. He witnessed a night-time dance and depicted it in a painting.</p><br>
<p>In 1936, a maritime strike fuelled by Islander dissatisfaction with the fact that their wages and boats were managed by the Protector of Aborigines allowed islanders to assert control and reject government controls. In 1937, the inaugural meeting of Island Councillors on Yorke Island resulted in the Torres Strait Islander Act (1939), giving Islanders more authority in their own affairs and established local governments on each island.</p><br>
<p>After the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, over 700 Islanders volunteered to defend the Torres Strait. This group was organised into the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion. The migration of Islanders to mainland Australia increased as jobs disappeared in the pearling industry. A call for independence from Australia in the 1980s was due to the government failing to provide basic infrastructure on the island.</p><br>
<p>Murray Islands most famous resident was trade unionist Eddie Mabo, whose decision to sue the Queensland Government to secure ownership of his land, which had been removed from his ancestors by the British colonial powers using the terra nullius legal concept, ultimately led to the High Court of Australia, on appeal from the Supreme Court of the State of Queensland, issue the "Mabo decision" to finally recognise Mabos rights on his land on 3 June 1992. This decision continues to have ramifications for Australia. Mabo himself died a few months before the decision. After vandalism to his grave site, he was reburied on Murray Island where the islanders performed a traditional ceremony for the burial of a king.</p><br>
<h4>Culture</h4><br>
<p>The people of Mer maintain their traditional culture. Modern influences such as consumer goods, television, travel and radio are having an impact on traditional practices and culture. Despite this, song and dance remains an integral part of island life and is demonstrated through celebrations such as Mabo Day, Coming of the Light, Tombstone openings and other cultural events. In 2007, after two years of negotiations, the skulls of five Islander tribesmen were returned to Australia from a Glasgow museum where they had been archived for more than 100 years.</p><br>
<p>The artist Ricardo Idagi was born on Murray Island. Idagi won the main prize at the Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards in 2009.</p><br>
<h2>Language</h2><br>
<p>The people of Murray Island speak Torres Strait Creole and Meriam, a member of the Eastern Trans-Fly languages of Trans–New Guinea; its sister languages being Bini, Wipi and Gizrra. Though it is unrelated to Kalaw Lagaw Ya of the Central and Western Islands of Torres Strait, the two languages share around 40% of their vocabulary. Torres Strait English is a second language.</p><br>
<h2>Governance</h2><br>
<p>Murray Island is governed by the Community Council, which is responsible for roads, water, housing and community events. The Community Council is an integral part of community life. The elders of the community hold a position of respect and also have a major influence on island life.</p><br>
<p>Barbeau Peak is a mountain in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. Located on Ellesmere Island within Quttinirpaaq National Park, it is the highest mountain in Nunavut and the Canadian Arctic. The mountain was named in 1969 for Dr. Marius Barbeau , a Canadian anthropologist whose research into First Nations and Inuit cultures gained him international acclaim.</p><br>
<p>Barbeau Peak is characterized by deep and long crevasses, razor thin ridges and highly variable and volatile weather.</p><br>
<p>Barbeau Peak is the highest mountain within the British Empire Range as well as the Arctic Cordillera, as well as in all of eastern North America.</p><br>
<p>Barbeau Peak was first climbed on 7 June 1967 by British geologist/glaciologist Geoffrey Hattersley-Smith as part of a joint Defence Research Board/Royal Air Force field party. The party both named the peak and determined its height.</p><br>
<p>The second ascent was by an eight-man American team in June 1982 (Errington,Trafton AAC 1983) via the north ridge. Subsequent ascents have been made in 1992, 1998, 2000 and 2002, though as of 2006 only seven successful summits have been attained.</p><br>
<p>Mount Carleton, in Mount Carleton Provincial Park, is at 817m the highest elevation in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, and is also the highest peak in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. It is one of the highlights of the Canadian portion of the International Appalachian Trail. It is also part of the eighth and final section of the. The mountain was named after Thomas Carleton, New Brunswicks first lieutenant governor, and forms part of the Notre Dame Mountains chain, which is visible on Map 24 of the NB Atlas.</p><br>
<p>Before aerial surveillance was extensively used, a hut was maintained on the summit for fire-spotting in the remote north-central part of the province. A very similar hut was maintained on Big Bald Mountain. Triangulation among these huts and other fire towers allowed the locations of wildfires to be determined quickly and easily.</p><br>
<p>Mount Carleton is a monadnock, an erosional remnant of resistant igneous rocks that remained after an ancient Mesozoic peneplain surface was uplifted in the Cenozoic to form a plateau, and subsequently dissected via millions of years of erosion by wind, water and glacial ice. It consists of 400 million-year-old rhyolitic and basaltic volcanics.</p><br>
<p>The Dent Blanche is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, lying in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. With its 4,357 m-high summit, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps.</p><br>
<h2>Naming</h2><br>
<p>The original name was probably Dent dHérens, the actual name of the nearby Dent dHérens which does not overlook the Val dHérens. The nearby north face of the Dent dHérens is glaciated while the Dent Blanche holds much less snow, it was even called Dent Noire (Black Tooth) on the Woerl Atlas of 1842. In fact on older maps, in the area where lie both summits, only the name Weisszahnhorn (from German: White Tooth Peak) was indicated, the French name (Dent Blanche) appearing in 1820 only. Because cartographers usually made their observations far away from the mountainous remote areas and also because the Dent dHérens is sometime hidden behind the Dent Blanche thus less visible, the latter received the name. The inhabitants of the lower Val dHérens called the actual Dent dHérens, Dent Blanche, but the ones of the upper Val dHérens called the mountain, Dent de Rong or Dent d&#39;Erins, contributing to the general confusion. The actual names are official since the completion of the Dufour map in 1862.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The summit of Dent Blanche is an important geographic place as it is the converging point of three ridges. The three valleys separated by them are the Val dHérens, Val dAnniviers and Mattertal. The respective villages of Evolène, Zinal and Zermatt lie approximatively at the same distance of the mountain.</p><br>
<p>The Dent Blanche has four steep faces rising over four glaciers: The north-east face (also called north face) rises above the Grand Cornier Glacier (part of the Zinal Glacier), the south-east face rises above the Schönbiel Glacier (part of the Zmutt Glacier), the south-west face rises above the Manzettes Glacier (part of the Ferpècle Glacier) and, finally, the north-west face of Dent Blanche rises above the homonym glacier.</p><br>
<p>The four ridges encompass almost exactly the four cardinal directions. The west ridge is named Arête de Ferpècle and the east ridge is named Arête des Quatre Ânes. The Col de la Dent Blanche (3,531 m) lies at the foot of the northern ridge, the Bivouac de la Dent Blanche is located there. The Dent Blanche Hut lies at the foot of the southern ridge which is used as the normal route.</p><br>
<p>The region around Dent Blanche consists of many 4000 metres peaks. The Ober Gabelhorn (west), Dent d&#39;Hérens and Matterhorn (south) are the closest high summits.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>The first ascent was made via the south ridge (Wandfluegrat), which is the less difficult route to the summit and the actual normal route. On 12 July 1862, T. S. Kennedy, after an attempt on the east face of the unconquered Matterhorn, almost reached the summit with the guides Peter Taugwalder and his son. But after a minor accident, Peter Taugwalder refused to go any higher. Kennedy would finally reach the summit only a few days later, on July 18, 1862 with W. Wigram, J. Croz and J. Konig, despite adverse weather conditions.</p><br>
<p>A route on the west ridge was opened on 11 August 1882 by John Stafford Anderson and G. P. Baker, with guides Alois Pollinger of St. Niklaus in the canton Valais and Ulrich Almer. They started from the Mountet Hut and arrived at the summit after a difficult 12 hours climbing on a dangerous ridge overlooking the north face. As Almer said on the summit: "We are four asses", the ridge was then named Arête des Quatre Ânes or Viereselsgrat (Ridge of the Four Asses).</p><br>
<p>The north ridge was explored in 1899. On 28 August O. G. Jones, F. W. Hill with guides E. Furrer, C. Zurbriggen and J. Vuignier headed to the summit but they fell and only Hill survived. He reached alone the summit and a storm forced him to make a bivouac. He could report the news of the fatal accident in Zermatt only two days later.</p><br>
<p>The first ascent of the north north west ridge - described as “one of the last great problems” of the Pennine Alps - was by Dorothy Pilley Richards and I. A. Richards with Joseph Georges and Antoine Georges on 20 July 1928. Dorothy Pilley Richards later wrote up the ascent in her mountaineering memoir, Climbing Days (1935).</p><br>
<p>The first ascent of the north face is attributed to K. Schneider and F. Singer on 26 and 27 August 1932. They climbed from the left part at the base of the face to the summit. Only on 12 July 1966, Michel and Yvette Vaucher made a direct ascent on the north face.</p><br>
<p>The first winter ascent by the north ridge was completed by P. Crettaz and J. Gaudin on March 2, 1963.</p><br>
<p>A solo winter ascent on the north face was made for the first time in 1968 by C. Bournissen.</p><br>
<p>The Travers River is in the South Island of New Zealand.</p><br>
<p>It lies within the borders of the Nelson Lakes National Park. The valley through which the river flows is popular with trampers and is part of the Travers-Sabine tramping circuit, which follows a major portion of the river, starting from Kerr Bay at Saint Arnaud and, after crossing the Travers Saddle (1787 metres), descends the valley of the Sabine River.</p><br>
<p>The river feeds into Lake Rotoiti. It is not a navigable waterway due to its small size and numerous rocky cascades. The lower reaches of the river lie in open tussock which was burnt and grazed by early European settlers. Further upstream the river flows through unmodified beech forest. The upper reaches are in subalpine scrub above the bushline.</p><br>
<p>The New Zealand Department of Conservation maintains a number of mountain huts and shelters along the length of the Travers Valley and within the surrounding mountains. These include the Lake Head Hut, Coldwater Hut, the Angelus Hut, the Hopeless Hut, the Cupola Basin Hut, John Tait Hut, and the Upper Travers Hut. Details of these can be obtained from the DOC Visitors Centre in Saint Arnaud.</p><br>
<p>The Prince Edward Islands are two small islands in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean that are part of South Africa. The islands are named Marion Island  and Prince Edward Island .</p><br>
<p>The islands in the group have been declared Special Nature Reserves under the South African Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, No. 57 of 2003, and activities on the islands are therefore restricted to research and conservation management. Further protection was granted when the area was declared a "Marine Protected Area" in 2013. The only human inhabitants of the islands are the staff of a meteorological and biological research station run by the South African National Antarctic Programme on Marion Island.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The islands were discovered on 4 March 1663 by Barent Barentszoon Lam of the Dutch East India Company ship Maerseveen and were named Dina (Prince Edward) and Maerseveen (Marion), but the islands were erroneously recorded to be at 41° South, and neither were found again by subsequent Dutch sailors. In January 1772, the French frigate Le Mascarin, captained by Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, visited the islands and spent five days trying to land, thinking they had found Antarctica (then not yet proven to exist). Marion named the islands Terre de l&#39;Espérance (Marion) and Ile de la Caverne (Pr. Edward). Crozet shared the charts of his ill-fated expedition, and as Cook sailed from Cape Town, he passed the islands on 13 December, but was unable to attempt a landing due to bad weather.</p><br>
<p>The first recorded landing on the islands was in 1799 by a group of French seal hunters of the Sally. The islands were frequented by sealers until about 1810, when the local fur seal populations had been nearly eradicated. The first scientific expedition to the islands was led by James Clark Ross, who visited in 1840 during his exploration of the Antarctic, but was unable to land. Ross sailed along the islands on 21 April 1840. He made observations on vast numbers of penguins ("groups of many thousands each"), and other kinds of sea-birds. He also saw fur seals, which he supposed to be of the species Arctocephalus falklandicus. The islands were finally surveyed during the Challenger Expedition, led by Captain George Nares, in 1873.</p><br>
<p>The islands have been the location of several shipwrecks. In June 1849 the brig Richard Dart, with a troop of Royal Engineers under Lt. James Liddell, was wrecked on Prince Edward island; only 10 of the 63 on board survived to be rescued by elephant seal hunters from Cape Town. In 1908 the Norwegian vessel Solglimt was shipwrecked on Marion Island, and survivors established a short-lived village at the north coast, before being rescued. The wreck of the Solglimt is the best-known in the islands, and is accessible to divers.</p><br>
<p>In 2003, the South African government declared the Prince Edward Islands a Special Nature Reserve, and in 2013 declared 180,000 km&sup2; of ocean waters around the islands a Marine Protection Area, thus creating one of the world&#39;s largest environmental protection areas.</p><br>
<h2>Marion Research Station</h2><br>
<p>In 1908 the British government assumed ownership of the islands. In late 1947 and early 1948, South Africa, with Britain&#39;s agreement, annexed the islands and installed the meteorological station on Transvaal Cove on the north-east coast of Marion Island. The research station was soon enlarged and today studies regional meteorology and the biology of the islands, in particular the birds (penguins, petrels, albatrosses, gulls) and seals.</p><br>
<p>A new research base was built from 2001 to 2011 to replace older buildings on the site. The access to the station is either by boat or helicopter. A helipad and storage hangar is located behind the main base structure.</p><br>
<h2>Geography and geology</h2><br>
<p>The island group is about 955 nmi south-east of Port Elizabeth in mainland South Africa. At 46 degrees latitude, the distance to the equator is only slightly longer than to the South Pole. Marion Island (46&deg;54&prime;45&Prime;S latitude, 37&deg;44&prime;37&Prime;E longitude), the larger of the two, is 25.03 km long and 16.65 km wide with an area of 290 km² and a coastline of some 72 km, most of which is high cliffs. The highest point on Marion Island is Mascarin Peak (formerly State President Swart Peak), reaching 1,242 m above sea level.</p><br>
<p>Prince Edward Island (46&deg;38&prime;39&Prime;S latitude, 37&deg;56&prime;36&Prime;E longitude) is much smaller—only about 45 km², 10.23 km long and 6.57 km wide—and lies some 12 nmi to the north-east of Marion Island. The terrain is generally rocky, with high cliffs (490 m) on its south western side. At the van Zinderen Bakker Peak north-west of the center, it reaches a height of 672 m. There are a few offshore rocks along the northern coast, like Ship Rock (100 m, north of northernmost point), Boot Rock, about 150 m off the northern coast, and Ross Rocks (500 m, from the shore).</p><br>
<p>Both islands are of volcanic origin.</p><br>
<h3>Climate</h3><br>
<p>Despite being located inside the south temperate zone at 46 degrees latitude, the islands have a tundra climate. They lie directly in the path of eastward-moving depressions all year round and this gives them an unusually cool and windy climate. Strong regional winds, known as the roaring forties, blow almost every day of the year, and the prevailing wind direction is north-westerly. Annual rainfall averages from 2,400 mm up to over 3,000 mm on Mascarin Peak. In spite of its very chilly climate it is located closer to the equator than mild northern hemisphere climates such as Paris and Seattle and only one degree farther south than fellow southern hemisphere climates such as Comodoro Rivadavia in Argentina and Alexandra in New Zealand.</p><br>
<p>It rains on average about 320 days a year (about 28 days a month) and the islands are among the cloudiest places in the world; about 1300 hours a year of sunshine occurs on the sheltered eastern side of Marion Island but only around 800 hours occur away from the coast on the wet western sides of Marion and Prince Edward Islands.</p><br>
<p>Summer and winter have fairly similar climates with cold winds and threat of snow or frost at any time of the year. However, the mean temperature in February (midsummer) is 7.7 &deg;C and in August (midwinter) it is 3.9 &deg;C.</p><br>
<h2>Flora and fauna</h2><br>
<h3>Invasive species</h3><br>
<p>The wildlife is particularly vulnerable to introduced species and the historical problem has been with cats and mice. House mice arrived to Marion Island with whaling and sealing ships in the 1800s and quickly multiplied, so much so that in 1949, five domestic cats were brought to the research base to deal with them. The cats multiplied quickly, and by 1977 there were approximately 3,400 cats on the island, feeding on burrowing petrels in addition to mice, and taking an estimated 455,000 petrels a year. Some species of petrels soon disappeared from Marion Island, and a cat eradication programme was established. A few cats were intentionally infected with the highly specific feline panleukopenia virus, which reduced the cat population to about 600 by 1982. The remaining cats were killed by nocturnal shooting, and in 1991 only eight cats were trapped in a 12-month period.</p><br>
<p>It is believed that no cats remain on Marion Island today, and with the cats gone, the mouse population has sharply increased to "plague like" levels. In 2003, ornithologists discovered that in the absence of other food sources, the mice were attacking albatross chicks and eating them alive as they sat helplessly on their nests. A similar problem has been observed on Gough Island, where a mouse eradication programme is currently planned to begin in 2019, with the island expected to be mouse free by 2021. A programme to eradicate invasive rats on South Georgia Island was completed in 2015, and as of 2016 the island appears to be completely rat free. The geography of Marion Island presents certain obstacles not found on either Gough or South Georgia islands, particularly its large size, high elevations and variable weather. An assessment of the island was completed in May 2015, led by noted invasive species ecologist John Parkes, with the general conclusion that an eradication program is feasible, but will require precise planning.</p><br>
<p>Both Gough Island and the Prince Edward Islands also suffer from invasive procumbent pearlwort (Sagina procumbens), which is transforming the upland ecosystem and is now considered beyond control.</p><br>
<h2>Legal status</h2><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>Prince Edward Island is featured as the setting for the climax of the maritime adventure story South Trap (also known as Southtrap) by Geoffrey Jenkins.</p><br>
<p>The Prince Edward Islands and particularly Marion Island feature prominently in the 1929 novel Mary of Marion Isle by H. Rider Haggard.</p><br>
<h2>Amateur radio</h2><br>
<p>The Lobau is a Vienna floodplain on the northern side of the Danube in Donaustadt and partly in Großenzersdorf, Lower Austria. It has been part of the Danube-Auen National Park since 1996 and has been a protected area since 1978. It is used as a recreational area and is known as a site of nudism. There is also an oil harbour, and the Austrian Army used the Lobau as a training ground. In addition to the water coming from the Alps through the Wiener Hochquellenwasserleitung, the Lobau is a source of groundwater for Vienna.</p><br>
<p>The Donauinsel (Vienna Danube Island) borders the Lobau.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The Lobau was the site of the Battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809, the first major defeat suffered by Napoléon, which was inflicted on him by an Austrian army led by Archduke Charles, and of the Battle of Wagram, a victory for Napoleon that followed two months later.</p><br>
<p>During the Oil Campaign of World War II, the Lobau oil refinery was bombed beginning on August 22, 1944.</p><br>
<h2>Impact on the environment</h2><br>
<p>Some small territories were used by the army for soldier training. The Lobau also has a big impact on tapwater in Vienna itself, since it is one of the sources to provide water to its population.</p><br>
<p>The Lobau houses a huge amount of different species of the flora and fauna that are in danger of extinction.</p><br>
<p>Since 1977 the Lobau with a 1037 hectar property is considered as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.</p><br>
<p>The Lobau is composed of nature zones, of which only 25% are being taken care of.</p><br>
<p>Since 1978 the Lobau is at the same time an area under landscape protection, a preserved area and also a biosphere reserve. The area covers one fifth of the 22st district in Vienna</p><br>
<h2>Flora and fauna</h2><br>
<p>The Lobau consists in a flora and fauna of exception, but on its way to extinction due to environmental problems. This is why, to preserve it, the Lobau as become a protected area since 1996. Furthermore, starting October 26, 1996 the protected park has integrated the national park of Donau Auen, which is one of natural areas "nature 2000".</p><br>
<h3>Reed bed</h3><br>
<p>The "Josefsteg" is a bridge found in the middle of the Lobau. 150 years ago there was a river bed, it was the Danube&#39;s bed. This passage constructed of wood, is about a 100 metres long, this bridge also represents the human impact on the protected area even though it is made of wood. As said before this park is known for its wide variety of flora and fauna and one typical example is the reed bed surrounding the "Josefsteg" covering a large part of the area. The common reed, (Phragmites Australis), is a cosmopolite species of perennial plant that belongs to the Poaceae, which is a sub family of the Arundinoideae.</p><br>
<p>Horseshoe Curve is a three-track railroad curve on Norfolk Southern Railway&#39;s Pittsburgh Line in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The curve itself is about 2,375 ft long and 1,300 ft in diameter; it was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a way to lessen the grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains. It eventually replaced the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, the only other route across the mountains for large vehicles.</p><br>
<p>The rail line has been important since its opening, and during World War II the Curve was targeted by Nazi Germany in 1942 as part of Operation Pastorius. The Curve was later owned and used by Pennsylvania Railroad successors Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern. Horseshoe Curve was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and became a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004.</p><br>
<p>Horseshoe Curve has long been a tourist attraction with a trackside observation park being completed in 1879. In the early 1990s the park was renovated and a visitor center built; the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona manages the center, which has exhibits pertaining to the curve.</p><br>
<h2>Location and design</h2><br>
<p>Horseshoe Curve is on the Pittsburgh Line, the Norfolk Southern Railway Pittsburgh Division main line between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Westbound trains climb a maximum grade of 1.85 percent for 12 mi from Altoona to Gallitzin; just west of the Gallitzin Tunnels trains pass the summit of the Allegheny Mountains, then descend for 25 mi to Johnstown on a grade of 1.1 percent or less.</p><br>
<p>The curve is 5 mi west of Altoona in Logan Township, Blair County at railroad milepost 242. The Blair County Veterans Memorial Highway (SR 4008) follows the valley west from Altoona and tunnels under the curve. Horseshoe Curve bends around a dam and lake, the highest of three reservoirs along the valley which are owned by the Altoona Water Authority and supply water to the city. Horseshoe Curve spans two ravines formed by creeks: Kittanning Run on the north side of the valley, and Glenwhite Run on the south.</p><br>
<p>For every 100 ft, the tracks at the Horseshoe Curve bend 9 degrees and 15 minutes with the entire curve totaling 220 degrees. The curve is 2,375 ft long and, at its widest, about 1,300 ft across. The Horseshoe Curve descends from an approximate elevation of 1,640 ft on the southern side to 1,600 ft on the northern. The grade of the curve was listed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as 1.45 percent, and currently as 1.34 percent by Norfolk Southern. Prior to dieselization and the introduction of dynamic braking and rail oilers, the rails along the curve would be transposed&mdash;left to right and vice versa&mdash;to equalize the wear on each rail from the flanges of passing steam locomotives and rail cars, thereby extending their lifespan.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Origin</h3><br>
<p>In 1834 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania built the Allegheny Portage Railroad across the Allegheny Mountains to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as part of the Main Line of Public Works. The Portage Railroad was a series of canals and inclined planes and remained in use until the mid-19th century. The Pennsylvania Railroad was incorporated in 1847 to build a railroad from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, replacing the cumbersome Portage Railroad.</p><br>
<h3>Construction</h3><br>
<p>Using surveys completed in 1842, the state&#39;s engineers recommended a route west from Lewistown that followed the ridges with a maximum grade of 0.852 percent on the 84 mi line. The Chief Engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad, John Edgar Thomson, instead chose a route on lower, flatter terrain along the Juniata River and accepted the resulting steeper grade west of Altoona. The valley west of Altoona was split into two ravines by a mountain; surveys had already found a route with an acceptable grade east from Gallitzin to the south side of the valley, and Horseshoe Curve allowed the same grade to continue to Altoona. Engineers built an earth fill over the first ravine encountered while ascending, formed by Kittanning Run, cut the point of the mountain between the ravines, and filled in the second ravine, formed by Glenwhite Run.</p><br>
<p>Work on Horseshoe Curve began in 1850 and took over three years. It was done without heavy equipment, only men "with picks and shovels, horses and drags". The entire line, including Horseshoe Curve, opened on February 15, 1854. The total cost for 31.1 mi of track between Altoona and Johnstown was $2,495,000 or $80,225 per mile ($49,850 /km). The remaining part of the mountain inside the curve was leveled in 1879 to allow the construction of a park and observation area&mdash;the first built for viewing trains. As demand for train travel increased, a third track was added to the curve in 1898 and a fourth was added two years later.</p><br>
<p>From around the 1860s to just before World War II passengers could ride to Kittanning Point station near the Curve. The Pennsylvania Railroad delivered empty hopper cars to the Kittanning Point station which the two railroads returned loaded with coal. Across from the station, a spur track on the hillside supplied a coal trestle, where trains could take on fuel and water during the early 1900s. A reservoir was built at the apex of the Horseshoe Curve in 1887 for the city of Altoona; a second reservoir, below the first, was finished in 1896. The third reservoir, Lake Altoona, was completed by 1913. A macadam road to the curve was opened in 1932 allowing access for visitors, and a gift shop was built in 1940.</p><br>
<p>Horseshoe Curve was depicted in brochures, calendars and other promotional material; Pennsylvania Railroad stock certificates were printed with a vignette of it. The Pennsylvania pitted the scenery of Horseshoe Curve against rival New York Central Railroads "Water Level Route" during the 1890s. A raised-relief, scale model of the curve was included as part of the Pennsylvania Railroads exhibit at the 1893 World&#39;s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Pennsylvania Railroad conductors were told to announce the Horseshoe Curve to daytime passengers&mdash;a tradition that continues aboard Amtrak trains.</p><br>
<h3>World War II and post-war</h3><br>
<p>During World War II PRR carried troops and matériel for the Allied war effort, and the Curve was under armed guard. The military intelligence arm of Nazi Germany, the Abwehr, plotted to sabotage important industrial assets in the United States in a project code-named Operation Pastorius. In June 1942 four men were brought by submarine and landed on Long Island, planning to destroy such sites as the Curve, Hell Gate Bridge, Alcoa aluminum factories and locks on the Ohio River. The would-be saboteurs were quickly apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after one, George John Dasch, turned himself in.</p><br>
<p>During the 1954 celebration of the centennial of the opening of Horseshoe Curve, a night photo was arranged by Sylvania Electric Products using 6,000 flashbulbs and 31 mi of wiring to illuminate the area. The event also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the incandescent light bulb. Pennsylvania steam locomotive 1361 was placed at the park inside the Horseshoe Curve on June 8, 1957. It is one of 425 K4s-class engines, the principal passenger locomotives on the Pennsylvania Railroad that regularly plied the curve. The Horseshoe Curve was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 13, 1966. The operation of the observation park was transferred to the city of Altoona the same year. The Pennsylvania Railroad was combined with the New York Central Railroad in 1968. The merger created Penn Central, which went bankrupt and was taken over by the federal government in 1976, as part of the merger that created Conrail. The second track from the inside at the Horseshoe Curve was removed by Conrail in 1981. The K4s 1361 was removed from the curve for a restoration to working order in September 1985 and was replaced with the ex-Conrail EMD GP9 diesel-electric locomotive 7048 that was repainted into a Pennsylvania Railroad scheme.</p><br>
<p>Starting in June 1990, the park at the Horseshoe Curve underwent a $5.8 million renovation funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and by the National Park Service through its "America&#39;s Industrial Heritage Project". The renovations were completed in April 1992 with the dedication of a new visitor center. It was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2004.</p><br>
<h2>Current operations</h2><br>
<p>Train count peaked in the 1940s with over 50 passenger trains per day along with many freight and military trains. Demand for train travel dropped greatly after World War II as highway and air travel became popular. The curve is still busy as part of Norfolk Southerns Pittsburgh Line and, was passed by 51 scheduled freight trains each day, not including locals and helper engines which can double the number. The 3,000 hp EMD SD40-2s and SD40Es helpers are coupled to the rear of long trains, providing power on the ascent and assisting in braking on the descent. The 2012 Norfolk Southern track chart lists the annual traffic density passing Horseshoe Curve as 111.8 e6ST, including locomotives. Amtraks Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and New York City rounds the curve once each way daily. Average speed for trains at Horseshoe Curve are 30 mph for freight and approximately 41 mph for passenger trains.</p><br>
<p>The Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona manages a visitor center next to the curve which is open April to October. The 6,800 ft&sup2; center has historical artifacts and memorabilia relating to the curve, and a raised-relief map of the Altoona&ndash;Johnstown area. Access to the curve is by a 288 ft funicular or a 194-step stairway. The funicular is single-tracked, with the cars passing each other halfway up the slope; the cars are painted to resemble Pennsylvania Railroad passenger cars. Along with the locomotive, a former "watchmans shanty" is in the park. Horseshoe Curve is popular with railfans; watchers might see three trains passing at once. As part of Norfolk Southerns 21st Century Steam program, the former Nickel Plate steam locomotive 765 traversed Horseshoe Curve in August 2012&mdash;the first steam locomotive to do so since 1977&mdash;while deadheading to and from Harrisburg. Nickel Plate 765 returned to the curve in May 2013 with public excursion trains from Lewistown to Gallitzin.</p><br>
<p>Como Lake is a 68 acre lake up to 15.5 ft deep in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It, along with the neighboring Como Park, has been a recreation area for residents of the Twin Cities for more than a century. It was named in 1848 by local farmer Charles Perry. A pavilion sits on the west side of the lake, and plays host to theatrical performances and concerts during the warmer months. The park features a variety of attractions, including the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, and is heavily used whenever good weather beckons people to go outside.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>After James-Younger Gang member Charlie Pitts was killed in the chaotic aftermath of the disastrous September 7, 1876 Northfield, Minnesota raid, his body was boxed up and temporarily submerged in the lake by Dr. Henry Hoyt, a local physician who wanted the bleached skeleton as a display piece for his office. The skeleton was on display for unknown number of years at the Stage Coach Museum in Shakopee, Minnesota. In 1981 the remains were donated to the Northfield Historical Society. Currently the skeleton is housed in the Physical Anthropology Lab at Minnesota State University in Mankato awaiting analysis.</p><br>
<h2>Fish</h2><br>
<p>The lake contains black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, golden shiner, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch. Some fish consumption guideline restrictions have been placed on the lake&#39;s bluegill, bullhead, crappie, largemouth bass, northern pike, and walleye due to mercury and/or PFOS contamination.</p><br>
