Mount Crowder is a remote mountain
summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
in the
Picket Range
The Picket Range is a small, extremely rugged subrange of the North Cascades in the northwestern part of the American state of Washington. It is entirely contained within North Cascades National Park. It is about long, running northwest–south ...
of the
North Cascades
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in the U.S. and Canada as the Cascad ...
, in
Whatcom County
Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Cou ...
of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
state.
Mount Crowder is situated in
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park is an American national park in the state of Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Par ...
and
Stephen Mather Wilderness
The Stephen Mather Wilderness is a wilderness area honoring Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service. It is located within North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, and Ross Lake National Recreat ...
. Neighbors include
Mount Fury
Mount Fury, elevation , is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Several small glaciers are on the slopes of Mount Fury, and it is the highest peak in the Picket Range . A theodolite survey of West and East Fury on Oct ...
, to the northeast, and
Twin Needles
Twin Needles are a pair of and spires located in the remote and rugged Picket Range within North Cascades National Park in the state of Washington. The peaks are situated west of Mount Terror which is the nearest higher peak. The Mustard Gla ...
is set to the southeast.
Precipitation
runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
from this peak drains south into headwaters of
Goodell Creek
Goodell Creek is a tributary of the Skagit River in the U.S. state of Washington.
Course
For most of its length Goodell Creek flows through North Cascades National Park. It originates in the Picket Range of the North Cascades. Its headwaters drain ...
, and northwest into Picket Creek which is a tributary of the
Baker River.
Topographic relief
Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...
is significant as the summit rises above Goodell Creek in approximately one mile.
History
The
first ascent
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
of the summit was made in 1962 by Cal Magnusson, Jack Ardussi, Don Mech, and Don Schmechel.
At that time the peak was known as "Old Brownie."
In 1970, the name "Mount Crowder" was officially adopted by the
U.S. Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...
to honor and remember Dr. Dwight F. Crowder (1929–1970).
[United States Board on Geographic Names (1971), ''Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States'', October through December 1970, List 7004, Department of the Interior Publisher, p. 16] He was a geologist, mountaineer, and conservationist who spent 12 years working for the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
in the North Cascades documenting the land and publishing significant scientific papers and books on its complex geology. He co-authored the 1965 book, "''Routes and Rocks: Hiker's Guide to the North Cascades from Glacier Peak to Lake Chelan''". He is credited with several first ascents in the North Cascades, such as
South Spectacle Butte and Sitkum Spire.
Dr. Crowder died on April 8, 1970, the innocent victim of a senseless automobile accident in his home community of Portola Valley, California.
He is also the namesake of
Mount Crowder in Antarctica, where he also had a work assignment.
Climate
Mount Crowder is located in the
marine west coast
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
climate zone of western
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Most
weather front
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For in ...
s originate in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, and travel east toward the
Cascade Mountains
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or
snowfall
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
onto the Cascades. As a result, the west side of the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Because of
maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
danger.
This climate supports an unnamed glacier in the north
cirque
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...
, and glacier remnants on the east slope. 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.
The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.
Geology
The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep
glacial valley
U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with steep, straight s ...
s. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining the
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
s in this area.
The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
Epoch.
With the
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Cuba, the Bahamas, extreme northeastern Asia, and parts of Iceland and the Azores. With an area of , it is the Earth's second largest tectonic plate, behind the Pacific ...
overriding the
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate.
The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and Iza ...
, episodes of
volcanic igneous activity persisted.
[ In addition, small fragments of the ]oceanic
Oceanic may refer to:
*Of or relating to the ocean
*Of or relating to Oceania
**Oceanic climate
**Oceanic languages
**Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)"
Places
* Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...
and continental lithosphere
A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of up to thousands of years o ...
called terrane
In geology, a terrane (; in full, a tectonostratigraphic terrane) is a crust fragment formed on a tectonic plate (or broken off from it) and accreted or " sutured" to crust lying on another plate. The crustal block or fragment preserves its own ...
s created the North Cascades
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in the U.S. and Canada as the Cascad ...
about 50 million years ago.[
During the ]Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[ The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. ]Uplift
Uplift may refer to: Science
* Geologic uplift, a geological process
** Tectonic uplift, a geological process
* Stellar uplift, the theoretical prospect of moving a stellar mass
* Uplift mountains
* Llano Uplift
* Nemaha Uplift
Business
* Uplif ...
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.
Gallery
File:Picket Range, Phantom to Terror.jpg, Phantom Peak
Phantom Peak () is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Located in the northern section of the park, Phantom Peak is in the Picket Range and is northwest of Mount Fury, north of Mount Crowder, and south of Crooked ...
to left, Mount Crowder to right with McMillan Spire
McMillan Spire () is a mountain peak in the Picket Range in the U.S. state of Washington and within North Cascades National Park. The peak lies east of Mount Degenhardt, and east of Inspiration Peak. The subpeak known as East McMillan Spire ...
s and Mount Terror behind it. View is from Ruth Mountain looking east-southeast.
File:Mount Crowder, Crescent Creek Spires, Terror.jpg, Mount Crowder (centered, shaded, with glacier), Crescent Creek Spires (behind Crowder), Mount Terror (upper left). View from Copper Ridge.
File:Mount Crowder from Trappers.jpg, South aspect of Mount Crowder (centered, angular shape) seen from Trappers Peak
Trappers Peak is a elevation mountain summit located in the North Cascades of Washington (state), Washington state. It is situated within North Cascades National Park, Stephen Mather Wilderness, and Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County. It ...
File:North Cascades National Park - panoramio.jpg, Aerial view of North Cascades with Mt. Crowder along left edge (see file annotation)
See also
* Geography of the North Cascades
The geography of the North Cascades describes a range of rugged mountains in British Columbia, Canada and Washington (U.S. state), Washington, United States. In Canada, the range is officially named the Cascade Range, Cascade Mountains but is commo ...
* Geology of the Pacific Northwest
The geology of the Pacific Northwest includes the composition (including rock, minerals, and soils), structure, physical properties and the processes that shape the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The region is part of the Ring of Fir ...
References
External links
* Mt. Crowder east face (aerial photo)
PBase
* Mt. Crowder northwest face (aerial photo)
PBase
* Weather forecast
Mount Crowder
Dwight F. Crowder obituary and photo
National Park Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowder
Mountains of Washington (state)
Mountains of Whatcom County, Washington
North Cascades
Cascade Range
North Cascades National Park
North American 2000 m summits