Tahtlum Peak is a 6,567-foot-elevation (2,002 meter) mountain summit in
Yakima County of
Washington state.
Description
Tahtlum Peak is located east-southeast of
Chinook Pass
Chinook Pass (elevation 5430 ft./1656 m.) is a pass through the Cascade Range in the state of Washington.
The pass is located on the crest of the Cascade Range, along a ridge between Yakima Peak to the northwest of the pass, and Naches Pea ...
and north of Dewey Lake in the
William O. Douglas Wilderness
The William O. Douglas Wilderness is a Wilderness Act, designated wilderness in Central Washington. It includes located between the U.S. Route 12 (Washington), U.S. Route 12 and State Route 410 (Washington), State Route 410 and is jointly admini ...
. It is part of 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, ...
and the nearest higher neighbor is
Dewey Peak
Dewey Peak is a summit located on the shared border of Mount Rainier National Park and William O. Douglas Wilderness. It is also on the shared border of Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County and Yakima County, Washington, Yakima County in Wa ...
, to the south.
Precipitation runoff from Tahtlum Peak drains into the
American River.
Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,455 feet (443 m) above Dewey Lake in less than one-half mile (0.80 km) and 2,800 feet (853 m) above American River in . The name ''tahtlum'' derives from
Chinook Jargon which means "ten."
The mountain's toponym has not been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, and it will remain unofficial as long as the USGS policy of not adopting new toponyms in designated wilderness areas remains in effect.
Climate
Most
weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach, 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. 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.
[Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.]
Gallery
File:Tahtlum Peak, west aspect.jpg, West aspect
File:Tahtlum Peak refected in Dewey Lake.jpg, Tahtlum Peak reflected in Dewey Lake
File:Tahtlum Peak WA.jpg
File:Tahtlum Peak, Yakima County, WA.jpg
File:Tahtlum Peak.jpg, Approaching Tahtlum Peak from west
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
* National Forest Service web site
William O Douglas Wilderness
Cascade Range
Mountains of Washington (state)
Mountains of Yakima County, Washington
Chinook Jargon place names
North American 2000 m summits