Mount Deception
Encyclopedia
Mount Deception is a peak in the Olympic Mountains
in the U.S. state
of Washington. It is in Olympic National Park
on the Olympic Peninsula
.
. It is the highest peak of the eastern Olympics. Mount Deception's prominence is 4108 feet (1,252.1 m), making it the 17th most prominent peak in Washington. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Olympus at 21.79 mi (35.1 km) to the west.
Mount Deception is located in the northeast portion of the Olympics Mountains just northeast of Mount Mystery between Deception Creek and Royal Creek. The region is known as Royal Basin and includes the upper reaches of Royal Creek. Mount Deception lies at the head of Royal Basin. This location puts it in the rain shadow
of the Olympics, resulting in far less precipitation than Mount Olympus and the western Olympics receive. Although Mount Deception is the highest peak in the eastern Olympics, it is not visible from Seattle.
Radiating northward from the shoulders of Mount Deception are The Needles (8140 ft (2,481 m)), Mount Clark (7528 ft (2,295 m)), Mount Walkinshaw (7378 ft (2,249 m)), and the northeasterly running spur known as Gray Wolf Ridge
. To the east and south are Mount Fricaba, Hal Foss Peak, Mount Mystery, and Little Mystery. Two small glacier
s hug the mountain's north-facing basalt
slopes.
Mount Deception sits on the boundary between the drainage basin
s of the Dungeness River
, to the north, and the Dosewallips River
, to the south and east. Deception Creek, a tributary of the Dosewallips River, drains the southern slope of Mount Deception. Gray Wolf Pass is located about 1 miles (1.6 km) west of Mount Deception. The pass connects the Dungeness and Dosewallips drainage basins.
. Later G.A. Whitehead of the U.S. Forest Service renamed it Mount Deception due to the difficulty mountaineers had in locating climbing routes on the often cloud-covered peak.
, which are scalable for fit and determined day hikers, mountaineering skills are necessary for Mount Deception itself. While not a particularly technical climb it 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. Fatalities have occurred on Mount Deception and the National Park Service recommends climbers be experienced in self-arrest skills, rock climbing, and route-finding.
The adjacent Needles are typically regarded as providing better, and somewhat more difficult, mountaineering objectives in the Royal Basin area.
Olympic Mountains
The Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific...
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. It is in Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
on the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
.
Description
At 7788 feet (2,373.8 m) high Mount Deception is the second highest peak of the Olympic Mountains, after Mount OlympusMount Olympus (Washington)
Mount Olympus is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains of western Washington state. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is the central feature of Olympic National Park. Mount Olympus is the highest summit of the Olympic Mountains, however, peaks such as Mount Constance,...
. It is the highest peak of the eastern Olympics. Mount Deception's prominence is 4108 feet (1,252.1 m), making it the 17th most prominent peak in Washington. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Olympus at 21.79 mi (35.1 km) to the west.
Mount Deception is located in the northeast portion of the Olympics Mountains just northeast of Mount Mystery between Deception Creek and Royal Creek. The region is known as Royal Basin and includes the upper reaches of Royal Creek. Mount Deception lies at the head of Royal Basin. This location puts it in the rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
of the Olympics, resulting in far less precipitation than Mount Olympus and the western Olympics receive. Although Mount Deception is the highest peak in the eastern Olympics, it is not visible from Seattle.
Radiating northward from the shoulders of Mount Deception are The Needles (8140 ft (2,481 m)), Mount Clark (7528 ft (2,295 m)), Mount Walkinshaw (7378 ft (2,249 m)), and the northeasterly running spur known as Gray Wolf Ridge
Gray Wolf Ridge
Gray Wolf Ridge is a spur of the northeastern Olympic Mountains in Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Arcing northeast from the Mount Deception - Needles - Mount Clark - Mount Walkinshaw massif, Gray Wolf Ridge is covered by alpine and subalpine forests up to the timberline, leaving the upper...
. To the east and south are Mount Fricaba, Hal Foss Peak, Mount Mystery, and Little Mystery. Two small glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s hug the mountain's north-facing basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
slopes.
Mount Deception sits on the boundary between the drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s of the Dungeness River
Dungeness River
The Dungeness River is a long river located in the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises near Mount Constance in the Olympic Mountains within the Olympic National Park, flows through the Buckhorn Wilderness, passes by the town of Sequim, and empties into the Strait of Juan de...
, to the north, and the Dosewallips River
Dosewallips River
The Dosewallips River is a river situated on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises near Mount Anderson in the Olympic Mountains within Olympic National Park and drains to Hood Canal and thence to the Pacific Ocean....
, to the south and east. Deception Creek, a tributary of the Dosewallips River, drains the southern slope of Mount Deception. Gray Wolf Pass is located about 1 miles (1.6 km) west of Mount Deception. The pass connects the Dungeness and Dosewallips drainage basins.
History
Mount Deception had been given the name Mount Holmes by the Seattle Press Expedition in honor of John H. Holmes of the Boston HeraldBoston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
. Later G.A. Whitehead of the U.S. Forest Service renamed it Mount Deception due to the difficulty mountaineers had in locating climbing routes on the often cloud-covered peak.
Recreation
Unlike the peaks of Gray Wolf RidgeGray Wolf Ridge
Gray Wolf Ridge is a spur of the northeastern Olympic Mountains in Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Arcing northeast from the Mount Deception - Needles - Mount Clark - Mount Walkinshaw massif, Gray Wolf Ridge is covered by alpine and subalpine forests up to the timberline, leaving the upper...
, which are scalable for fit and determined day hikers, mountaineering skills are necessary for Mount Deception itself. While not a particularly technical climb it 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. Fatalities have occurred on Mount Deception and the National Park Service recommends climbers be experienced in self-arrest skills, rock climbing, and route-finding.
The adjacent Needles are typically regarded as providing better, and somewhat more difficult, mountaineering objectives in the Royal Basin area.