Mont Blanc massif led to calls to limit access to the most popular summits and for the mountains to be treated with greater respect. The Mont Blanc massif has provided numerous opportunities for academic research, dating back to the very first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786 during which Michel Paccard carried scientific equipment to confirm it as the highest summit. In 1820, an ill-fated expedition led by Dr Hamel included pigeons intended for release at varying altitudes to measure the impact of reduced air density on their ability to fly. In 1890, Joseph Vallot built a small meteorological observatory at approximately between
San Gabriel Peak San Gabriel Peak San Gabriel Peak is a summit in the San Gabriel Mountains in the U.S. state of California. It was named by the United States Geological Survey in 1894 and is located in the Angeles National Forest. This peak was first named "The Commodore" for Commodore Perry Switzer. The name is derived from the Misión del Santo Arcangel San Gabriel de los Temblores. From this mission had already come the names of the San Gabriel River and San Gabriel Canyon, the mountain range itself and the entire San Gabriel Valley. The steep south face drops approximately 1,000 feet