Carol Van Morel, age 11, of Maurice, Iowa, or her question:

What is the highest mountain in the United States?

It is always sad to see a champ lose his title, particularly after holding it for a long time. Mount Whitney has held the title highest mountain in the continental United States since 1860. The big brown mountain in the Sierra Nevada of California is 11,495 feet above sea level. And now the dignified champ must give up his title. For the 48 states are to become 49. And the new baby, Alaska, is a land of towering peaks, several of them tall enough to look down on the old champ.

Alaska's highest peak is Mount McKinley. It towers 20,300 foot above the level of the sea, its crown forever clothed in glacial ice. And McKinley, the new highest mountain in the United States, also holds the title of highest mountain in North America.