Sperry Peak is a 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 Snohomish County of Washington state.

Description

Sperry Peak is located east of Barlow Pass near the Mountain Loop Highway and the Monte Cristo area, on land managed by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It is set in the South Fork Stillaguamish River Valley near the western edge of the North Cascades. The nearest higher neighbor is Vesper Peak, to the west, with a high connecting ridge between the two. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over above the South Fork Stillaguamish in approximately .

History

The peak was named for A. D. (Dick) Sperry, a Silverton mining prospector during the 1890s. The Dick Sperry Picnic Area is near the historic site of the abandoned Sperry-Iverson mine near Silverton. The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the

United States 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 ...

. The first ascent of the summit was made in 1927 by Norval Grigg and Art Winder.

Climate

Sperry Peak is located in the marine west coast 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 ...

.Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008. Most weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range ( orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall 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 danger. 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. Due to its temperate climate and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, areas west of the Cascade Crest very rarely experience temperatures below or above . 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 valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to various climate differences. The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch. With the North American Plate 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 and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago. During the Pleistocene 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:Sperry Peak of Cascade Range.jpg, Sperry Peak File:Sperry Peak snow.jpg, Sperry Peak seen from Sunrise Mine Road File:Sperry Peak north face.jpg, Sperry Peak, north face File:Mt Loop peaks before sunrise.jpg,

Morning Star Peak Morning Star Peak is a mountain summit located near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. It is situated southwest of Barlow Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway near the Monte Cristo area. It is se ...

(left), Sperry Peak (center), Vesper Peak (right) viewed from Dickerman Mountain before sunrise

References

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External links

* Sperry Peak weather
Mountain Forecast
* Climbing Vesper and Sperry peaks
YouTube
Mountains of Washington (state) North Cascades Mountains of Snohomish County, Washington Cascade Range Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest North American 1000 m summits