Mount Carru facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Carru |
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Mount Carru, southeast aspect
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,595 ft (2,620 m) |
| Prominence | 955 ft (291 m) |
| Listing | List of Highest Mountain Peaks in Washington |
| Geography | |
 Mount Carru
Location in Washington (state)
Mount Carru
Location in the United States
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| Location |
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| Parent range | Okanogan Range North Cascades Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Lago |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1933 by Hermann Ulrichs and Richard Alt |
| Easiest route | Scrambling class 3 south slope |
Mount Carru is a tall mountain in Washington state, standing about 8,595 feet (2,620 meters) high. It is located in western Okanogan County. This peak is the 7th highest in the Okanagan Range, which is a smaller part of the larger North Cascades mountain range.
You can find Mount Carru inside the Pasayten Wilderness. This wild area is managed by the Okanogan National Forest. Nearby, Mount Lago is about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the east, and Osceola Peak is about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west. The north side of Mount Carru is very steep. However, the south side has loose rocks, called scree, which makes it easier to climb without special climbing gear. Water from Mount Carru flows north into Lease Creek, which then joins the Pasayten River. Other water flows south into Eureka Creek, which is part of the Methow River system.
Weather and Climate at Mount Carru
Most of the weather that affects Mount Carru comes from the Pacific Ocean. These weather systems travel northeast towards the Cascade Range. As they get closer to the North Cascades, the tall mountains force the air upwards. This process, called orographic lift, makes the air cool down and drop its moisture.
This means the western side of the North Cascades gets a lot of rain or snow. Winters bring heavy snowfall to the area. During the colder months, the sky is often cloudy. But in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean usually bring clear skies and sunshine.
How Mount Carru Was Formed
The North Cascades mountains, where Mount Carru is located, have a very rugged landscape. You can see sharp peaks, tall spires, long ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. These amazing features were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events caused big changes in the land's height and led to different climates across the Cascade Range.
The Cascade Mountains started forming millions of years ago, during a time called the late Eocene Epoch. This happened because the North American Plate slowly moved over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many volcanic eruptions over a long period. Also, small pieces of the Earth's outer layer, called terranes, crashed into North America. These collisions helped build the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.
Later, during the Pleistocene period, which began over two million years ago, huge sheets of ice called glaciers moved across the land. These glaciers advanced and then melted back many times. As they moved, they scraped and shaped the landscape, leaving behind piles of rock debris. The river valleys in the area often have a "U" shape. This unique shape is a direct result of these ancient glaciers. The combination of the land pushing upwards (called uplift) and cracks in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with the action of glaciers, has created the tall peaks and deep valleys we see in the North Cascades today.
