Seven Fingered Jack
Encyclopedia
Seven Fingered Jack is a mountain in the North Cascades
in the U.S. state
of Washington. It is located at the north end of the Entiat Mountains
, a sub-range of the Cascade Range
. It is part of a three-peak group called the Entiat Cirque which includes Mount Maude
and Mount Fernow
. Seven Fingered Jack is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Holden. The peak is in the Glacier Peak Wilderness
of Wenatchee National Forest
.
Seven Fingered Jack is the second highest and middle of the three peaks of the Entiat Cirque, the other two being Mount Maude
and Mount Fernow. All three are over 9,000 feet. Together they form a high curved ridge from which the headwaters of the Entiat River
flow eastward. There are a number of glaciers on Seven Fingered Jack and its neighbors, including Entiat Glacier. Streams flowing down the east and south sides of the mountain enter Spider Meadows, through which flows Phelps Creek, a tributary of the Chiwawa River
, which flows south to the Wenatchee River
. Thus Seven Fingered Jack sits on the boundary between the drainage basin
s of the Entiat and Wenatchee rivers. Both rivers are tributaries of the Columbia River
.
as the Forest Supervisor of the Wenatchee National Forest
. Over the course of his career he gave over 3,000 names in the region.
North Cascades
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in Canada as the Cascade Mountains...
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 located at the north end of the Entiat Mountains
Entiat Mountains
The Entiat Mountains, or Entiat Range is a mountain range in the U.S. state of Washington. Located west of the Columbia River, north of the Wenatchee River, and south of the Entiat River, the range is part of the North Cascades section of the Cascade Range. The Entiat Range is relatively narrow...
, a sub-range of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
. It is part of a three-peak group called the Entiat Cirque which includes Mount Maude
Mount Maude
Mount Maude is a peak in the Entiat Mountains, a subrange of the North Cascades, in Washington state, USA. It is in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, at the headwaters of the Entiat River. The peak was given its name by Albert H. Sylvester in honor of Frederick Stanley Maude....
and Mount Fernow
Mount Fernow
Mount Fernow is a tall peak in the North Cascades in the U.S. state of Washington and within the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Wenatchee National Forest. At in elevation it is the eighth highest peak in Washington and the state's third highest non-volcanic peak. It is also the highest peak of the...
. Seven Fingered Jack is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Holden. The peak is in the Glacier Peak Wilderness
Glacier Peak Wilderness
The Glacier Peak Wilderness, created by the US Forest Service in 1960 by efforts of the , four years before the 1964 wilderness legislation of the Congress, is located within portions of Chelan County, Snohomish County, and Skagit Counties in the North Cascades of Washington...
of Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres , it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest...
.
Description
Sources differ over the height of Seven Fingered Jack. Peakbagger.com says it is 9100 ft (2,773.7 m), peakware.com says 9077 ft (2,766.7 m), and the USGS cites 9022 ft (2,749.9 m) in its GNIS database. Its rank also differs by source. Seven Fingered Jack is the 12th highest peak in Washington according to peakbagger.com and 14th highest according to peakware.com.Seven Fingered Jack is the second highest and middle of the three peaks of the Entiat Cirque, the other two being Mount Maude
Mount Maude
Mount Maude is a peak in the Entiat Mountains, a subrange of the North Cascades, in Washington state, USA. It is in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, at the headwaters of the Entiat River. The peak was given its name by Albert H. Sylvester in honor of Frederick Stanley Maude....
and Mount Fernow. All three are over 9,000 feet. Together they form a high curved ridge from which the headwaters of the Entiat River
Entiat River
The Entiat River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining the Columbia near Entiat. The USGS lists two variant names for the Entiat River: En-ti-at-kwa River and Entiatqua River. En-ti-at-kwa is noted as being the original "Indian name", meaning "rapid water"...
flow eastward. There are a number of glaciers on Seven Fingered Jack and its neighbors, including Entiat Glacier. Streams flowing down the east and south sides of the mountain enter Spider Meadows, through which flows Phelps Creek, a tributary of the Chiwawa River
Chiwawa River
The Chiwawa River is a tributary of the Wenatchee River, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is completely contained within Chelan County.Much of the Chiwawa River's drainage basin is designated national forest and wilderness...
, which flows south to the Wenatchee River
Wenatchee River
The Wenatchee River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, originating at Lake Wenatchee and flowing southeast for , emptying into the Columbia River immediately north of Wenatchee, Washington...
. Thus Seven Fingered Jack 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 Entiat and Wenatchee rivers. Both rivers are tributaries of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
.
History
Seven Fingered Jack was once called the Entiat Needles, after their distinctive craggy granite summits. It was given its present name by Albert H. Sylvester, who served as a USGS topographer and then, from 1908–1931, with the Forest ServiceUnited States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
as the Forest Supervisor of the Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres , it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest...
. Over the course of his career he gave over 3,000 names in the region.