Three Fingers (Washington)

The Three Fingers is a mountain which is located in Snohomish County, Washington. At a height of 6,859 feet (2,091 m), it is the 12th most prominent peak of the state, and is also part of the Cascade Range."Three Fingers" refers to the mountain's three summits. The Three Fingers is a prominent and recognizable landmark in northern Snohomish County.[3]

Three Fingers
Three Fingers, viewed from Smokey Point in wintertime
Highest point
Elevation6,858 ft (2,090 m)[1]
Prominence4,490 ft (1,369 m)[2]
Isolation12.8 mi (20.6 km)[2]
Coordinates48°10′12″N 121°41′16″W[1]
Geography
Parent rangeCascade Range
Topo mapWhitehorse Mountain[1]
Climbing
First ascent1929

The first ascent of the mountain came in 1929, by Darrington-based mountaineers Harry Bedal and Harold Engles.[4] A fire lookout was built on the southernmost peak by Bedal, Engels, and Frank Benesh, and was seasonally staffed from 1933 until 1942. Supposedly, the top 15 feet (4.6 m) of the southern peak was blasted for the cabin, lowering the mountain's height in the process.[3] It was abandoned and later rebuilt by local mountaineering groups in the 1960s and 1980s. The lookout was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, alongside other structures in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.[5]

The mountain is used for recreational climbing, with a 15-mile-long (24 km) round-trip trail originating on the east side at a trailhead on the Mountain Loop Highway.[6]

References

  1. "Three Fingers". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  2. "Three Fingers". Peakbagger.com.
  3. Winters, Chris. "A view of the Cascades". The Everett Herald. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  4. Judd, Ron (August 30, 1992). "9 Years Young: Engles Just Keeps On Climbing". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  5. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Three Fingers Lookout". National Park Service. 1987. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  6. "Three Fingers". Washington Trails Association. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

Further reading

  • Bates, Malcolm S. (1987). Three Fingers: The Mountain, The Men and a Lookout. Seattle, Washington: Cloudcap. ISBN 0938567039. OCLC 17858725.


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