Temptation Peak
by Greg Higgins, 1/82

History Corner.  If Mt. Williwaw is the Queen of the near Chugach, then Temptation Peak is the Crown Prince.  The sharply serrated margins of its upper slopes splits the major drainage of Ship Creek from the blue-green waters of Emerald Lake on its west side.  Only Williwaw and possibly East Tanaina are higher on the near-range peaks.

From Temptation's summit a gentle ridge runs north for about three miles to Survey Point 3790 before dropping off steeply to the creek below.  To the south the ridge descends a thousand feet before rising again to connect with the east summit of Tanaina about two miles distant.  Approaches to the mountain have been made from the drainage to the west, from Ship Creek (bushwhacking required), and from the North Fork of Campbell Creek.

Vin Hoeman was tempted to try to climb this peak from the highway in 1953.  Muskeg and mosquitoes turned him around well short of his goal, but the experience eventually gave birth to the mountain's name in the 1960's.  The first report of a successful climb was on April 23, 1966 by Bob Spurr, Bill Hauser, Barney Seiler, and Ron Sullivan (SCREE: 8:9:1).  One year later, however, a man by the name of Pettijohn wrote in the summit register that he had been there in 1956, and in fact had shot a ram near the top.

Grace Hoeman found the register placed in 1966 intact on October 18, 1969, but by June the following year, the jar that had contained it was found broken.  Most of the records were lost (SCREE: 13:11:4,5) at this time.  Vin Hoeman's file fortunately contained accurate data until 1970.  I do not have records of a Winter climb on Temptation.