Mount Formidable Explained

Mount Formidable
Photo Alt:A large, rugged mountain rises above a snowy ridge
Elevation:8325feet
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence:1885feet
Prominence Ref:[2]
Range:North Cascades
Parent Peak:Overdrive Tower
Location:Skagit County, Washington, United States
Map:USA Washington
Map Alt:Mount formidable is located in north-central Washington, near the Cascade crest
Coordinates:48.4164°N -121.0672°W
Topo:USGS Cascade Pass
Type:Fold
Age:Triassic
First Ascent:Calder T. Bressler
Ralph W. Clough
Bill Cox
Tom Myers
Easiest Route:Class III

Mount Formidable is a mountain in the North Cascades of Skagit County, in Washington state.[3] Its first ascent was undertaken by members of the original Ptarmigan Traverse.[1] It was named by early mountaineer Herman Ulrichs in 1935 because of the rugged appearance of its north face.[1] The peak can be accessed from Cascade Pass via the Ptarmigan Traverse.

Geography and climate

Mount Formidable is located on a spur ridge about half a mile west of the Cascade crest, between Cascade Pass and Dome Peak, and about a mile west of Spider Mountain.[3] It is within the Marine west coast climatic zone, and experiences heavy snowfall as a result. The surrounding area is part of the Pacific temperate rainforests ecoregion, and lower elevations are densely vegetated.[1] The Middle Cascade Glacier, which drains into the Skagit River via the Cascade River,[4] is on the north side of the mountain.[1]

Geology

The North Cascades are composed of terranes, or scattered, unrelated rock groups of various ages.[5] More specifically, the immediate area surrounding Mount Formidable (i.e., within ten miles), is mainly composed of granitic rocks that are Mesozoic in age, and schist that dates from the late paleozoic.[6] Mount Formidable itself is likely composed of originally igneous rocks that formed in the Triassic and were metamorphorphized in the Late Cretaceous.[7]

Climbing

Mount Formidable can be accessed via the Ptarmigan Traverse, which begins at Cascade Pass.[1] Climbers access the higher elevations of the Middle Fork Cascade River basin via Cache Col and proceed to the summit via the Middle Cascade Glacier.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Beckey, Fred . Fred Beckey

    . Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass . 3rd . Fred Beckey . Fulsaas . Kris . Clifton-Thornton . Christine . . 2003 . . 9781594851551 . Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass.

  2. 1872 . Mount Forimdable . 2013 . August 26, 2013.
  3. Green Trails . CASCADE PASS, WASH — NO 80 . 1989 . First published 1977 . 1: 69500 . 15 minute series . August 26, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120519165226/http://www.greentrailsmaps.com/maps/search/mapid=80 . May 19, 2012 . dead .
  4. 1517451 . Cascade River.
  5. Lasmanis, Raymond. The geology of Washington: Rocks and Minerals. 1991. (cited in Web site: Geology of Washington — Northern Cascades . . 2013 . 2013-08-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141008180331/http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Topics/GeologyofWashington/pages/ncascade.aspx . 2014-10-08 . dead .) Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  6. Cater . Fred W. . Intrusive Rocks of the Holden and Lucerne Quadrangles, Washington — The Relation of Depth Zones, Composition, Textures, and Emplacement of Plutons . 1982 . .
  7. Web site: Carter . F.W. . Intrusive Rocks of the Holden and Lucerne Quadrangles, Washington . 1982 . 9 –23 . August 28, 2013. (cited in Beckey 2003)
  8. Book: Goldman, Peggy . 84 –87 . . 2004 . Birmingham, Alabama . 9780899976082 . Washington's Highest Mountains: Basic Alpine and Glacier Routes.