The Mitre (Alaska)

The Mitre is a 6651 ft mountain summit located in the western Chugach Mountains, in Anchorage Municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. The mountain is situated in Chugach State Park, 30 mi east of Anchorage, 3 mi northeast of Bellicose Peak, and 5.5 mi south-southeast of Eklutna Lake. The nearest higher peak is Benign Peak, 2.4 mi to the west-northwest, on the opposite side of the Eklutna Glacier. Although modest in elevation, relief is significant since the western aspect of the mountain rises 4,000 feet above this glacier in approximately half a mile. In Europe, "mitre" is the term used for a sharp, symmetrical rocky peak such as this one. The Mitre's descriptive name was submitted for consideration by the Mountaineering Club of Alaska as suggested by Dr. Rodman Wilson (1921–2003) of Anchorage after he returned from a European vacation. The Mitre name was officially adopted in 1966 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. In the Denaʼina language, this mountain is known as Idlu Bena Dghelaya, meaning Mountain of Plural Objects Lake.

Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification, The Mitre is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Chugach Mountains (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −20 °F. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains to Cook Inlet via the Eklutna River.