| Bears Breast Mountain | |
|---|---|
 Bears Breast Mountain | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,197 ft (2,194 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 1,117 ft (340 m)[1] |
| Parent peak | Little Big Chief Mountain (7,225 ft)[2] |
| Isolation | 2.57 mi (4.14 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 47°32′24″N121°13′32″W / 47.540099°N 121.225476°W /47.540099; -121.225476[1] |
| Geography | |
  Bears Breast Mountain Location in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Bears Breast Mountain Bears Breast Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Kittitas |
| Protected area | Alpine Lakes Wilderness |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGSMount Daniel |
| Geology | |
| Rock type | Swauk Formation sandstone |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | August 8, 1939 byFred Beckey, Joe Barto, Wayne Swift[3] |
| Easiest route | Southwest Faceclass 5.4 |
Bears Breast Mountain is a 7,197-foot-elevation (2,194-meter) mountain summit located inKittitas County ofWashington state.[4] It is entirely within theAlpine Lakes Wilderness, on land managed byWenatchee National Forest. Bears Breast Mountain is situated slightly east of the crest of theCascade Range, ten miles northeast ofSnoqualmie Pass. Not visible from a road, the mountain can be seen from a trail which passes to the southwest of the peak near Dutch Miller Gap. Precipitationrunoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Waptus River. The nearest higher peak isLittle Big Chief Mountain, 1.62 miles (2.61 km) to the southwest.[1]
Bears Breast Mountain is located in themarine west coast climate zone of western North America.[3]Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward theCascade Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow onto the Cascades (Orographic lift). As a result, the west side of the Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Because ofmaritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting inavalanche danger.[3] 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 Alpine Lakes Wilderness features some of the most rugged topography in theCascade Range with craggy peaks and ridges, deepglacial valleys, andgranite walls spotted with over 700 mountain lakes.[5] Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining theecoregions in this area. The elevation range of this area is between about 1,000 feet (300 m) in the lower elevations to over 9,000 feet (2,700 m) onMount Stuart.
The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the lateEocene Epoch.[6] With theNorth American Plate overriding thePacific Plate, episodes ofvolcanic igneous activity persisted.[6] In addition, small fragments of theoceanic andcontinental lithosphere calledterranes created theNorth Cascades about 50 million years ago.[6]During thePleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[6] The last glacial retreat in the Alpine Lakes area began about 14,000 years ago and was north of the Canada–US border by 10,000 years ago.[6] The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of that recent glaciation.Uplift andfaulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.
