Mount Cruiser

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Mount Cruiser
Mount Cruiser.jpg
Mt. Cruiser, west aspect, seen from Mt. Gladys,
(Alpha on left)
Highest point
Elevation 6,104 ft (1,860 m) [1]
Prominence 1,104 ft (336 m) [1]
Parent peak Mount Skokomish (6,434 ft)
Coordinates 47°33′52″N123°18′56″W / 47.56433°N 123.315682°W / 47.56433; -123.315682 [1]
Geography
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
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Mount Cruiser
Location of Mount Cruiser in Washington
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Mount Cruiser
Mount Cruiser (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Washington
County Mason
Protected area Mount Skokomish Wilderness
Parent range Olympic Mountains
Topo map USGS Mount Skokomish
Geology
Rock age Eocene
Rock type Basalt
Climbing
First ascent 1937 Paul Crews, Ray Layton [2]  
Easiest route class 5 South corner [2]

Mount Cruiser is a 6,104-foot-elevation (1,860-meter) mountain summit located in the Olympic Mountains, in Mason County of Washington state, United States. [3] It is situated in Mount Skokomish Wilderness on land managed by Olympic National Forest. Cruiser is the highest point on Sawtooth Ridge, and its nearest higher peak is Mount Skokomish, 2.1 mi (3.4 km) to the north-northeast. [1] Cruiser has two sub-peaks, Alpha (6,040 ft; 1,841 m), and Beta (5,920 ft; 1,804 m), the latter of which lies on the Olympic National Park boundary. [1] The first ascent of the peak was made in 1937 by Paul Crews and Ray Layton. The mountain was named by the first ascent party to recognize their club, the Bremerton Ski Cruisers. [4] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1961 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. [3] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into the Hamma Hamma River.

Contents

Climate

Mt. Cruiser (directly above ferry) seen from the Seattle area Ferry on Puget Sound.jpg
Mt. Cruiser (directly above ferry) seen from the Seattle area

Mount Cruiser is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. [5] Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow. As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. [6] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in avalanche 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. [6] The months June through September offer the most favorable weather for climbing.

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust. [7] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

Climbing Routes

Cruiser summit Cruiser summit.jpg
Cruiser summit

Established rock climbing routes on Mt. Cruiser: [2]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Elk Lick</span> Mountain in Washington (state), United States

Mount Elk Lick is a 6,517-foot-elevation (1,986 meter) mountain summit located in the Olympic Mountains, in Jefferson County of Washington state. It is situated within Olympic National Park, and is set within the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness at the head of Elk Lick Creek. The nearest neighbor is Mount La Crosse, 2.54 mi (4.09 km) to the west, and the nearest higher neighbor is Diamond Mountain, 3.73 mi (6.00 km) to the north-northwest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains south into the Duckabush River, and north into the Dosewallips River. Topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises over 4,300 feet (1,310 m) above the Duckabush valley in approximately one mile. The mountain is remote and an ascent can take four days and involves 46 miles of hiking.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mount Cruiser". Peakbagger.com.
  2. 1 2 3 Mount Cruiser at climbersguideolympics.com
  3. 1 2 "Mount Cruiser". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  4. Kitsap Sun, May 8, 1997
  5. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN   1027-5606.
  6. 1 2 McNulty, Tim (2009). Olympic National Park: A Natural History. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press.
  7. Alt, D.D.; Hyndman, D.W. (1984). Roadside Geology of Washington. pp. 249–259. ISBN   0-87842-160-2.
Mount Cruiser's Beta (left) and Mount Lincoln (right) seen from Mt. Gladys Mount Cruiser and Mount Lincoln.jpg
Mount Cruiser's Beta (left) and Mount Lincoln (right) seen from Mt. Gladys