Three Brothers is a 7,303-foot-elevation (2,226 meter) triple-peak mountain summit located in
Chelan County of
Washington state.
It is situated 1.3 miles east of
Navaho Peak
Navaho Peak is a mountain summit located on the boundary of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, on the shared border of Kittitas County, Washington, Kittitas County with Chelan County, Washington, Chelan County in Washington (U.S. state), Washington s ...
, on the boundary of the
Alpine Lakes Wilderness, on land managed by
Wenatchee National Forest. Three Brothers is the third-highest point in the Teanaway area of the
Wenatchee Mountains.
Precipitation
runoff from the peak drains into tributaries of the
Wenatchee River. The view from the summit of this peak showcases the impressive
Mount Stuart and
Stuart Range for those who climb it.
Climate
Lying east of the
Cascade
Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to:
Science and technology Science
*Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls
* Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex)
* Cascade (grape), a type of fruit
* Bioc ...
crest, the area around Three Brothers is drier than areas to the west. Summers can bring warm temperatures and occasional thunderstorms. 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades (
Orographic lift). As a result, the eastern slopes of the Cascades experience lower precipitation than the western slopes. 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.]
Geology
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness 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 and ridges, deep
glacial valleys, and
granite walls spotted with over 700 mountain lakes.
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 elevation range of this area is between about in the lower elevations to over on Mount Stuart.
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 and shaped the landscape.][ The last glacial retreat in the Alpine Lakes area began about 14,000 years ago and was north of the Canada–US border by 10,000 years ago.][ The "U"-shaped cross section of the river valleys are a result of that 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 Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.
See also
* Geology of the Pacific Northwest
* List of peaks of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness contains a number of mountain peaks and ranges:
Snoqualmie peaks
* Kaleetan Peak —
* Chair Peak (Washington), Chair Peak —
* Denny Mountain —
* Guye Peak —
* Hibox Mountain —
* Sno ...
Gallery
File:Three Brothers from Navaho Peak.jpg, Three Brothers west aspect, from Navaho Peak
File:Summit of Three Brothers.jpg, The other brothers from the west summit of Three Brothers
File:Three Brothers 4824.JPG
References
{{reflist
External links
* Three Brothers
weather forecast
Mountains of Washington (state)
Wenatchee National Forest
Cascade Range
Mountains of Chelan County, Washington
North American 2000 m summits