Fay Peak is a double-summit mountain located in

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in southeast Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County and northeast Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County in Washington (sta ...

, in Pierce County of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

state. 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 (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

, and lies northwest of the summit of

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier ( ), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With an off ...

. The 6,492-foot elevation summit of Fay Peak lies a quarter-mile west of the highest point, East Fay Peak, . Echo Rock is its nearest higher neighbor, to the southeast. Precipitation runoff from Fay Peak is drained by Cataract Creek on the east side of the mountain, and the west side drains into Mowich Lake and Mowich River.

Climate

Fay Peak is located in the

marine west coast An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

climate zone of western North America.Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008. 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 ins ...

s originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast 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 many of those in the ...

. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range (

orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow onto the Cascades. As a result, the west side of the 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 Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

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. The months of July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.

History

This mountain's name honors

Fay Fuller Edwina Fay Fuller (October 10, 1869 – May 27, 1958) was an American journalist, mountaineer and schoolteacher. In 1890 she became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Rainier. Biography Fay Fuller was born in 1869 in New Jersey to A ...

(1869–1958), the first woman to stand atop the summit of Mount Rainier. Her first successful ascent occurred on August 10, 1890, and her second on July 27, 1897. The name ''Fay Peak'' first appeared on a map of the mountain published in 1895.Mount Rainier National Park Place Names. Gary Fuller Reese (author), 2009. The toponym was officially adopted in 1913 by the

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...

. The

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

of this peak was made August 15, 1884, by J. Warner Fobes, George James, and R. O. Wells.

Gallery

File:Fay Peak (c18b68965000409aabf166311567e6c1).JPG, Fay Peak from Mowich Lake File:Fay Peak 20956.JPG, Fay Peak from Knapsack Pass

References

External links

* National Park Service web site
Mount Rainier National Park
* Fay Peak
weather forecast
{{Geographic Location , Center = Fay Peak , North = Castle Peak , Northeast = Mother Mountain , East =

Old Desolate Old Desolate is a multi-summit, ridge-like mountain located in Mount Rainier National Park, in Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County of Washington (U.S. state), Washington state. It is part of the Cascade Range, and lies due north of the ...

, Southeast = Spray Park , South = Hessong Rock , Southwest = Mowich River , West = Elizabeth Ridge , Northwest = Mowich Lake Cascade Range Mountains of Pierce County, Washington Mountains of Washington (state) Mount Rainier National Park One-thousanders of the United States

Climate

History

See also

Gallery

References

External links