Sluiskin Mountain
[
] is a prominent pair of summits 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 situated northwest of
Burroughs Mountain and 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 ...
. The higher rocky peak is known as ''The Chief'' (7026 ft), and the second peak to the west is known as ''The Squaw'' (6960+ ft).
West of The Squaw are pinnacles called ''The Papooses''.
[Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.] Sluiskin was the native American guide who assisted with the first successful ascent 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 ...
by
Hazard Stevens
Hazard Stevens (June 9, 1842 – October 11, 1918) was an American military officer, mountaineer, politician and writer. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Union army during the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Hu ...
and
P. B. Van Trump
Philemon Beecher Van Trump (known as P. B. Van Trump; December 18, 1838 – December 27, 1916) was an American pioneering mountaineer and writer who lived in the state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. He is best known for the first do ...
in 1870. ''Sluiskin Falls'' within the park also honors him.
[''Mount Rainier National Park Place Names''. Gary Fuller Reese (author), 2009.]
Climate
Sluiskin Mountain 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.
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.
Precipitation
runoff from Sluiskin Mountain drains into tributaries of the
White River.
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 ...
References
{{Reflist
Gallery
File:Sluiskin from Old Desolate.jpg, Sluiskin from 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 ...
File:Leaf Petersen Sluiskin Chief and Sluiskin Squaw.jpg, The Squaw (left) and The Chief (right)
File:Sluiskin Mountain north side.jpg, North aspect
External links
* Weather forecast
Sluiskin Mountain* National Park Service web site
Cascade Range
Mountains of Pierce County, Washington
Mountains of Washington (state)
Mount Rainier National Park
Two-thousanders of the United States