Sloan Peak

Coordinates: 48°02′29″N 121°20′25″W / 48.041452561°N 121.340244567°W / 48.041452561; -121.340244567
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sloan Peak
Washington, U.S.
class 3

Sloan Peak is a 7,835-foot (2,388-metre) mountain in the

Washington state. It rises about 40 miles (64 km) east of Everett, Washington and 12 miles southwest of Glacier Peak, one of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. It is located between the north and south forks of Sauk River, in the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. The summit is situated about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the Mountain Loop Highway
.

Sloan Peak has been called the "Matterhorn of the Cascades" for its sharp, high peak, which is accentuated by its impressive local relief and its isolated position west of the Cascade crest. It is easily visible from many locations in the North Cascades. On both the east and southwest sides, Sloan's summit rises more than one vertical mile (1.6 km) above the valley floor in less than two horizontal miles (3.2 km).

The standard route on the peak climbs the South Face and Upper West Face, but it is also known as the "Corkscrew Route" due to its winding nature.

class 3
). Other more technical routes exist on Sloan's other faces.

History

Sloan Peak was first climbed by Harry Bedal and Nels Skaar on July 30, 1921, via the Corkscrew Route.

Climate

Sloan Peak from Painted Mountain

Sloan Peak is located in the

snowfall onto the Cascades (Orographic lift). As a result, the west side of the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but, due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.[4] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.[4]

Geology

The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the

glacial valleys
. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences.

The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late

continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.[5]

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[5] The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.

See also

References

Sloan Peak from southeast
  1. ^ a b "Sloan Peak, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  2. ^ "Sloan Peak". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce.
  3. ^ a b
    ISBN 0-89886-577-8
    .
  4. ^ a b c Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press.

External links

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