Mount Spickard
Encyclopedia
Mount Spickard is a 8979 feet (2,736.8 m) mountain peak in the North Cascades
, a mountain range in the U.S. state
of Washington. Located just 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Canada-U.S. border, it is part of the Chilliwack Group, a subrange of the Skagit Range
which is part of the North Cascades. It is composed mainly of gneiss
and is part of two major drainage basins: that of the Skagit River
and Fraser River
.
With a topographic prominence of over 4700 feet (1,432.6 m), Mount Spickard is one of the most prominent peaks in the state, and has two minor summits. The mountain was named for a climber who fell to his death while ascending another nearby mountain peak. However, the first to ascend Mount Spickard was Walter B. Reaburn, in 1904.
, making it the 5th highest peak in the park and the 16th highest in the state. Its prominence of 4779 feet (1,456.6 m) is the ninth-greatest in the state and makes it the 70th-most prominent peak in the United States. It is located 19 miles (30.6 km) northwest of Jack Mountain
, the nearest higher peak.
The main summit of Spickard has two sub-peaks. The taller of the two is a 8824 feet (2,689.6 m) summit, with a prominence of 304 feet (92.7 m), 0.3 mile (0.482802 km) to the northeast of the true summit. The shorter is located 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) southwest of the main peak and rises to 8405 feet (2,561.8 m), but has 364 feet (110.9 m) of prominence. In his popular climbing guild, Fred Beckey
uses the name "Peak 8824" for the northeast sub-peak.
High ridges connect Mount Spickard to other peaks. A ridge to the southwest connects Spickard with Twin Spires (also called Mox Peaks) and the Ridge of Gendarmes. The high ridges to the southeast of Mount Spickard are somewhat broken up by glacier-couloirs
but connect Spickard with summits known as Tombstone Peak and Peak 7153. Another high ridge extends to the northeast. The ridge to the northwest is broken by a saddle point but otherwise extends several miles, curving north and east, around Silver Lake to Mount Custer Ridge, Mount Rahm, and Devils Tongue.
to Silver Lake. The high terrain southwest of Mount Spickard is intensely glaciated, with numerous glaciers, some very large, extending over 3 mi (4.8 km) to Mount Redoubt
.
There are four main drainage basins reaching to the slopes of Mount Spickard. Depot Creek
flows west and northwest to join the Chilliwack River and, ultimately, the Fraser River
, which flows into the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia
. On the south side of Spickard are some headstreams of Perry Creek, which flows east to Little Beaver Creek and, via Ross Lake
, the Skagit River
. To the north Silver Lake Glacier sends meltwater into Silver Lake. Meltwater streams from glaciers on the east side of Mount Spickard join the outflow, Silver Creek, which flows east from Silver Lake to Ross Lake.
Access to the mountain is difficult due to the remote and rugged nature of the area. The easiest approach is from British Columbia
via Chilliwack Lake
and Depot Creek
. There are two common approaches within Washington, both via water taxi
on Ross Lake
.
of the Rocky Mountains. The first ascent was made in 1904 by Walter B. Reaburn. A second ascent was made the following year by Thomas Riggs Jr., George Neuner Jr., and J. Beall. In 1906, Noel J. Ogilvie and a Canadian party climbed Mount Spickard.
Mount Spickard was called Glacier Peak until 1963, when it was renamed in memory of Warren Spickard. Spickard was a distinguished mountaineer, who died in 1961 while climbing the nearby Northwest Twin Spires (also called Northwest Mox Peak or just Northwest Mox). He had climbed Mount Spickard in 1955.
North Cascades
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in Canada as the Cascade Mountains...
, a mountain range in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington. Located just 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Canada-U.S. border, it is part of the Chilliwack Group, a subrange of the Skagit Range
Skagit Range
The Skagit Range is a subrange of the Cascade Range in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington, United States, which are known in Canada as the Canadian Cascades or, officially, the Cascade Mountains...
which is part of the North Cascades. It is composed mainly of gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
and is part of two major drainage basins: that of the Skagit River
Skagit River
The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...
and Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
.
With a topographic prominence of over 4700 feet (1,432.6 m), Mount Spickard is one of the most prominent peaks in the state, and has two minor summits. The mountain was named for a climber who fell to his death while ascending another nearby mountain peak. However, the first to ascend Mount Spickard was Walter B. Reaburn, in 1904.
Description
Mount Spickard rises to 8980 feet (2,737.1 m) in the northernmost extreme of North Cascades National ParkNorth Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the state of Washington. The park is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Several national wilderness areas and British Columbia parkland adjoin the...
, making it the 5th highest peak in the park and the 16th highest in the state. Its prominence of 4779 feet (1,456.6 m) is the ninth-greatest in the state and makes it the 70th-most prominent peak in the United States. It is located 19 miles (30.6 km) northwest of Jack Mountain
Jack Mountain
Jack Mountain is the 17th highest mountain in Washington state. It is one of the 10 non-volcanic peaks in Washington State over . It towers dramatically over the south end of Ross Lake, rising 7,450 ft above the lakeshore in only 3 horizontal miles .Jack Mountain was first described by...
, the nearest higher peak.
The main summit of Spickard has two sub-peaks. The taller of the two is a 8824 feet (2,689.6 m) summit, with a prominence of 304 feet (92.7 m), 0.3 mile (0.482802 km) to the northeast of the true summit. The shorter is located 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) southwest of the main peak and rises to 8405 feet (2,561.8 m), but has 364 feet (110.9 m) of prominence. In his popular climbing guild, Fred Beckey
Fred Beckey
Fred Beckey is an American mountaineer and author, who has made hundreds of first ascents, more than any other North American climber.-Early years:...
uses the name "Peak 8824" for the northeast sub-peak.
High ridges connect Mount Spickard to other peaks. A ridge to the southwest connects Spickard with Twin Spires (also called Mox Peaks) and the Ridge of Gendarmes. The high ridges to the southeast of Mount Spickard are somewhat broken up by glacier-couloirs
Couloir
A couloir is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain. A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissure, or vertical crevasse in an otherwise solid mountain mass...
but connect Spickard with summits known as Tombstone Peak and Peak 7153. Another high ridge extends to the northeast. The ridge to the northwest is broken by a saddle point but otherwise extends several miles, curving north and east, around Silver Lake to Mount Custer Ridge, Mount Rahm, and Devils Tongue.
Hydrology
There are many glaciers on Mount Spickard's slopes and neighboring ridges. Silver Lake Glacier extends over a mile from Spickard's summit north through a large cirqueCirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
to Silver Lake. The high terrain southwest of Mount Spickard is intensely glaciated, with numerous glaciers, some very large, extending over 3 mi (4.8 km) to Mount Redoubt
Mount Redoubt (Washington)
Mount Redoubt is a mountain in the North Cascades range in Whatcom County, Washington state. The peak is located to the U.S.-Canada border, east-northeast of Mount Shuksan. It is the 21st highest peak in the state, with a height of and a prominence of...
.
There are four main drainage basins reaching to the slopes of Mount Spickard. Depot Creek
Depot Creek
Depot Creek is a large creek in Whatcom County, Washington and British Columbia. Its headwaters are in Washington however, its mouth is in British Columbia. It is best known for the waterfall it flows over, Depot Creek Falls...
flows west and northwest to join the Chilliwack River and, ultimately, the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
, which flows into the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. On the south side of Spickard are some headstreams of Perry Creek, which flows east to Little Beaver Creek and, via Ross Lake
Ross Lake
Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, USA, and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake runs approximately north-south, is 23 miles long, up to 1.5 miles wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level .The U.S...
, the Skagit River
Skagit River
The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...
. To the north Silver Lake Glacier sends meltwater into Silver Lake. Meltwater streams from glaciers on the east side of Mount Spickard join the outflow, Silver Creek, which flows east from Silver Lake to Ross Lake.
Access to the mountain is difficult due to the remote and rugged nature of the area. The easiest approach is from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
via Chilliwack Lake
Chilliwack Lake
Chilliwack Lake is a lake in the upper basin of the Chilliwack River southeast of the city of the same name in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada...
and Depot Creek
Depot Creek
Depot Creek is a large creek in Whatcom County, Washington and British Columbia. Its headwaters are in Washington however, its mouth is in British Columbia. It is best known for the waterfall it flows over, Depot Creek Falls...
. There are two common approaches within Washington, both via water taxi
Water taxi
A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar...
on Ross Lake
Ross Lake
Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, USA, and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake runs approximately north-south, is 23 miles long, up to 1.5 miles wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level .The U.S...
.
History
The geologist Reginald A. Daly studied the Spickard area in 1902 and 1906. He described Mount Spickard (then called Glacier Peak) and its neighbors as the most inaccessible summits of the entire U.S.–Canada border region west of the Flathead RiverFlathead River
The Flathead River, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of , empties into the Clark Fork. The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, as the Clark...
of the Rocky Mountains. The first ascent was made in 1904 by Walter B. Reaburn. A second ascent was made the following year by Thomas Riggs Jr., George Neuner Jr., and J. Beall. In 1906, Noel J. Ogilvie and a Canadian party climbed Mount Spickard.
Mount Spickard was called Glacier Peak until 1963, when it was renamed in memory of Warren Spickard. Spickard was a distinguished mountaineer, who died in 1961 while climbing the nearby Northwest Twin Spires (also called Northwest Mox Peak or just Northwest Mox). He had climbed Mount Spickard in 1955.
See also
- Mount RedoubtMount Redoubt (Washington)Mount Redoubt is a mountain in the North Cascades range in Whatcom County, Washington state. The peak is located to the U.S.-Canada border, east-northeast of Mount Shuksan. It is the 21st highest peak in the state, with a height of and a prominence of...
- Stephen Mather WildernessStephen Mather WildernessThe Stephen Mather Wilderness is a wilderness area honoring Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service. It is located within North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, and Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the North Cascade Range of Washington,...
- List of mountains of the United States
- List of mountains by elevation