Mount Mystery

Last updated
Mount Mystery
Mount Mystery.jpeg
Mount Mystery's west face
Highest point
Elevation 7,639 ft (2,328 m) [1]
Prominence 1,119 ft (341 m) [1]
Isolation 1.32 mi (2.12 km) [2]
Coordinates 47°47′45″N123°13′17″W / 47.795903°N 123.221465°W / 47.795903; -123.221465 [1]
Geography
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Mount Mystery
Location of Mount Mystery in Washington
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Mount Mystery
Mount Mystery (the United States)
Location Olympic National Park
Jefferson County, Washington, US
Parent range Olympic Mountains
Topo map USGS Mount Deception
Geology
Age of rock Eocene
Type of rock Tilted pillow Basalt
Climbing
Easiest route class 3 scrambling [2]

Mount Mystery is a prominent 7,639-foot (2,328-metre) mountain summit located in the Olympic Mountains in Jefferson County of Washington state. It is located within Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula. Mount Mystery is the sixth-highest peak of the Olympic Mountains, after Mount Olympus, Mount Deception, Mount Constance, Mount Johnson, and Inner Constance. [3] Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Deception, 1.32 mi (2.12 km) to the north-northwest. Little Mystery (6941 ft) is a subsidiary summit south of Mount Mystery.

Contents

Mount Mystery is located in the eastern portion of the Olympic Mountains just south of Mount Deception at the headwaters of Deception Creek. This location puts it in the rain shadow of the Olympic Range, resulting in far less precipitation than Mount Olympus and the western Olympics receive.

Mount Mystery sits on the boundary between the drainage basins of the Dungeness River, to the north, and the Dosewallips River to the east. Deception Creek, a tributary of the Dosewallips River, drains the east and west slopes of Mount Mystery, including a small melting glacier on the east side referred to colloquially as Mystery Glacier.

Mount Mystery was given its name circa 1915 by G.A. Whitehead of the U.S. Forest Service because he admired its regal appearance in foggy weather. [4]

Climate

Mystery from Deception Mount Mystery from Deception.jpg
Mystery from Deception

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Mystery is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. [5] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Olympic Range (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall. As a result, the Olympics experience 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 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 July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing and climbing this mountain.

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust. [6] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

Recreation

While not a particularly technical climb, Mount Mystery is steep and exposed. If a climber falls and does not arrest immediately, loose rock and rotten snow may make it difficult to stop falling for some distance. The nearby Needles are typically regarded as providing better, and somewhat more difficult, mountaineering objectives in the Royal Basin area.

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Mount Fromme is a 6,705-foot (2,044-metre) mountain summit in Olympic National Park in Jefferson County of Washington state. It is situated at the head of Dosewallips River, within the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. The nearest higher neighbor is Mount Claywood, 0.6 mi (0.97 km) to the northwest. Other nearby peaks include Lost Peak, 1.8 mi (2.9 km) to the northeast, and Sentinel Peak, 1.4 mi (2.3 km) to the southeast. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east into headwaters of the Dosewallips River, and west into Hayes River, which is a tributary of the Elwha River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,250 feet (685 m) above Dose Meadows in approximately one mile.

<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 "Mount Mystery". Peakbagger.com.
  2. 1 2 "Mystery, Mount - 7,639' WA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  3. "Olympic Mountains". Peakbagger.com.
  4. Parratt, Smitty (1984). Gods and Goblins: A Field Guide to Place Names of Olympic National Park (1st ed.).
  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. Alt, D.D.; Hyndman, D.W. (1984). Roadside Geology of Washington. pp. 249–259. ISBN   0-87842-160-2.