Spider Mountain
Spider Mountain from Maple Pass
Highest point
Elevation	8,317 ft (2,535 m) [1]
Prominence	970 ft (296 m) [1]
Parent peak	Mount Formidable [1]
Isolation	1.33 mi (2.14 km) [1]
Coordinates	48°24′34″N 121°02′10″W / 48.409454°N 121.036096°W / 48.409454; -121.036096 [2]
Geography
Spider Mountain Location in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Spider Mountain Spider Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Chelan
Protected area	Glacier Peak Wilderness
Parent range	North Cascades Cascade Range
Topo map	USGS Cascade Pass
Geology
Type of rock	Schist
Climbing
First ascent	1938, Calder Bressler, Ralph Clough, Bill Cox, Tom Myers [3]
Easiest route	Scrambling Glacier travel

Spider Mountain is an 8,317-foot (2,535-metre) mountain summit located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in western Chelan County of Washington state. ^[4] It is part of the North Cascades, which is a subset of the Cascade Range. Meltwater from the Spider Glacier on the steep north face, and other surface runoff from the mountain drains into Flat Creek, which is a tributary of the Stehekin River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 4,200 feet (1,300 meters) above West Fork Flat Creek in one mile (1.6 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Mount Formidable 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the west. ^[2] The Middle Cascade Glacier lies between these two mountains and the Ptarmigan Traverse passes between the two.

Climate

Spider Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. ^[3] Weather fronts coming inland from the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks ( orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow onto the Cascades. As a result, the North Cascades experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. 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. ^[3] The months of July through September offer the most favorable weather for climbing or viewing this peak.

Geology

The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks and ridges, deep glacial valleys, and granite spires. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to various climate differences.

The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch. ^[5] With the North American Plate overriding the Pacific Plate, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted. ^[5] In addition, small fragments of the oceanic and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago. ^[5]

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris. ^[5] The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.

See also

• Geography of the North Cascades
• Geology of the Pacific Northwest
• List of highest mountain peaks in Washington

References

External links

• Spider Mountain weather: Mountain Forecast
• Spider Mountain photo: Flickr