Nature
Matthes Crest is a narrow arête in Yosemite National Park’s Cathedral Range, a roughly mile-long fin of rock whose two summits and deep notch create one of the area’s most distinctive ridge profiles. Once called Echo Ridge for the nearby Echo Peaks, it was later named for François E. Matthes, the cartographer and author who studied the region’s geology. Geologically, the crest formed as a nunatak rising above the glacial field that covered the Tuolumne area during the last ice age. It also holds an important place in Yosemite climbing history, with the first known ascent completed on June 16, 1931, and the south-to-north traverse remaining a popular alpine climb.
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