The Duke of the Abruzzi (1873-1933) was born Luigi Amedeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco, son of King Amedeus of Spain. Before the age of 40 the Duke had become one of the world's greatest modern mountaineers.
Tashäl Chù' The name for the river is thought to have come from the lake (Bates) which it drains.
bergschrund
This is a crevasse that is formed at the top end of a glacier when the glacier, which is moving, detaches from the ice cap or snowfield above.
Beringia
A vast area between the Kolyma River in the Russian Far East to the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is a region of worldwide significance for cultural and natural resources.
Burwash Creek
Tl'äw K'a Chù' "long grass water" In particular, grass that is "sharp" or bladed.
Removable protection against falls which is held into the crack of a rock by exerting force on each side of the crack in order to hold it in place.
Congdon Creek
Khär Shän Nji "roots broken down", refers to trees along this creek’s floodplain have been uprooted by flash floods coming out of the mountains.
Cornice
This is formed when snow, blown by the wind, builds up horizontally on the crest of a ridge or the side of a gully and extends beyond the supporting rock.
Crampons
Spiked outer shoe for ices faces and steep inclines.
crest
To reach the crest of a hill or a ridge; the ridge or top of a mountain.
Titl'àt Män reflecting Dezadeash Lake’s position at the head of the drainage system. There are many old campsites, cabins and caches around the lake, and traditional stories associated with the lake, including a 19th century conflict, where many people lost their lives.
Dezadeash River
Titl'àt Män Tágà Dezadeash River gets its name from the lake at its head. The river is also known by the name Shadhäla Chù’ meaning Champagne River, Dezadeash River, or the river that flows by Champagne settlement.
Donjek River
Dän Ƶhur Chù refers to the white or silver berries that grow along the river. These are edible and the large seeds of the berries were used as beads for decorations.
Duke River
Shär Ndü Chù "huge or powerful bear river" There are many large bears in this valley, which has also been an important travel route between hunting areas.
Dusty River
Äze Chù River takes its name from the mountain that sits by its mouth, east side.
Bodies of water fed by Glaciers. Kluane Lake is one such lake in Kluane National Park.
glacier
A large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. A glacier is formed by multi-year ice accretion in sloping terrain. Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth, and second only to oceans
Goatherd Mountain
Nàłùdäy Dhäl This mountain takes its name from the Lowell Glacier, which it overlooks. The glacier has advanced to the base of this mountain blocking the flow of the Alsek River in the past.
Dakwäkäda Situated on Dezadeash River, it is at the intersection of traditional travel routes, and in the olden days was a convenient place to cache meat from game hunted in the nearby mountains. The caches were located where the new Champagne and Aishihik First Nations village is situated.
An ice age is a period of long-term downturn in the temperature of Earth's climate, resulting in an expansion of the continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers.
ice face
The side of a mountain or cliff which is covered in ice.
ice screws
Protection against falls used for ice climbing. It has a tubular design in order to prevent the ice from fracturing and so the displaced ice will work its way out through the hollow core.
Mät'àtäna Män, the largest lake in Kluane National Park, is in a steep sided valley; winds on the lake make for dangerous boating conditions. The lake has a variety of fish, including two special ones, the pygmy whitefish and kokanee or land-locked salmon.
Kloo Lake
K'ǜa Män The name refers to traps for catching fish. Oral history reports that salmon used to spawn here before the Lowell glacier blocked the river, thereby stopping the fish from coming up to the lake. The lake is a traditional camping place, with an old village (with cabins and graveyard) on the west side of the lake, and a newer village on the south side of the lake near the highway.
Kluane Lake
Łù'àn Män "a lake where people catch fish" It is good for whitefish, as well as trout and thì or dog salmon. It is the biggest lake in the Yukon, and its deep waters can make for dangerous boating conditions at times. The English name for the lake is derived from Tlingit.
Klukshu
Łù Ghą a traditional Southern Tutchone fishing place, and is still an important seasonal village and gathering place for Champagne and Aishihik people. King, sockeye, coho and dog salmon come up Klukshu Creek to the lake. The Klukshu name is Tlingit, and means end of the salmon (that is, farthest point upstream).
Metal spikes driven into rock or ice for support. Large angle pitons are used in large cracks.
Logan
A mountain situated in the Kluane National Park. Canada's tallest mountain.
Lowell Glacier
Nàłùdäy The name refers to long ago event(s), when an advance or advances of the Lowell Glacier blocked salmon from coming up the river to spawn. The blockage likely had drastic consequences for the area’s residents, who would have relied on the salmon for food. The Lowell Glacier has advanced and blocked the river several times in the past millennium, and it is not certain which advance(s) this story refers to.
Nàday Gän Information on how this mountain got its name has been lost. Clearly visible from Haines Junction and Kluane Lake, Mt. Decoeli is used as a weather guide or forecaster by local residents.
Mush Lake
Sí Män This lake takes its name from the mountain to the north, which is a source for paint (sí) or red ochre (hematite).
One of seven Athabaskan languages spoken in the Yukon. The Southern Tutchone people have traditionaly been nomadic people inhabiting the southwestern Yukon.
Tachäl Dhäl This is a flat faced mountain, similar to the flat stone scraper known as a tachal (variant spelling thetchel) that was used by women for preparing hides. Once a favoured sheep hunting area for the Southern Tutchone and now a favourite sheep viewing place.
Tatshenshini River
Shäwshe Chù' The Southern Tutchone name for this river comes from the old settlement. The Tlingit name for this river is Alsèxh, from which the name Alsek is derived, while the Tatshenshini name, also Tlingit in origin, applies to a tributary upstream from Shäwshe. Around the turn of the 20th century, the river names got confused by outsiders new to the area, and the Alsek name became applied to the main branch of the same system, as it is today.
tent
Rugged winter tent, designed to withstand heavy snow loads and fierce winds usually encountered on mountain peaks.
traverse
To pass or travel across, over, or through something.
Trivia: First Nations
