Old Desolate is a multi-summit, ridge-like 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 due north 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
Wonderland Trail provides an approach to this mountain, and the summit offers views of
Sluiskin Mountain and Mount Rainier.
Burroughs Mountain is the nearest higher neighbor, to the southeast.
Precipitation
runoff from Old Desolate drains east into the West Fork
White River, or west into the
Carbon River
The Carbon River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 30 miles (48 km) from its source, the Carbon Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Orting.
Charles Wilkes called the river the "Upthascap Rive ...
.
History
The descriptive name ''Old Desolate'' derives from its position standing desolate and alone at the western edge of Vernal Park.
[Mount Rainier National Park Place Names. Gary Fuller Reese (author), 2009.] The toponym was officially adopted in 1932 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 ...
, which noted that there were three peaks on the mountain, with elevations of 7,130-feet for the central peak, 7,003-ft for the south peak, and 7,004-ft for the north one, and the north and south peaks being a mile apart.
[
]
Climate
Old Desolate 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.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.
See also
*
* 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 ...
Gallery
File:Old Desolate, Washington.jpg, Old Desolate from the northeast. True summit (left), north peak (right).
File:Old Desolate and Rainier.jpg, Old Desolate and Mt. Rainier behind
File:Massive Winthrop Glacier terminus.jpg, Winthrop Glacier
The Winthrop Glacier is a large glacier on the northeastern side of Mount Rainier in Washington. Named after Theodore Winthrop, the body of ice covers 3.5 mile2 (9.1 km2) and has a volume of 18.5 billion feet3 (523 million m3). Starting at o ...
terminus and Old Desolate seen from Burroughs Mountain
Looking to Sluiskin Mountain.jpg, Old Desolate, Sluiskin Mountain, and Skyscraper Mountain from the southeast
References
External links
* National Park Service web site
Mount Rainier National Park
* Old Desolate
weather forecast
{{Authority control
Cascade Range
Mount Rainier National Park
Mountains of Pierce County, Washington
Mountains of Washington (state)
Two-thousanders of the United States