Mount Pilchuck
bəlalgʷəʔ (Lushootseed)
Mount Pilchuck in winter
Highest point
Elevation5,344 ft (1,629 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence2,860 ft (870 m)[1]
Coordinates48°03′28.7″N 121°47′52.1″W / 48.057972°N 121.797806°W / 48.057972; -121.797806[2]
Geography
LocationSnohomish County, Washington, U.S.
Parent rangeCascades
Topo mapMallardy Ridge

Mount Pilchuck (Lushootseed: bəlalgʷəʔ)[3][4] is a mountain located in Snohomish County, Washington. It is 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Seattle. It is part of the Cascade Range.

Mount Pilchuck is located within Mount Pilchuck State Park, but the area surrounding the mountain, including the trailhead, are within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Under agreement, the trail leading to the summit is wholly maintained by the United States Forest Service, even though it is within a state park. This is one of the most popular trails in the region due to easy access, and panoramic views of the Cascade range to the east,[5] and the Puget Sound to the west.[6]

At Mount Pilchuck's summit is an old fire lookout tower, now used as shelter for hikers. This former lookout is jointly maintained by Washington State Parks and the Everett branch of The Mountaineers.

Some years the trail to the summit is still covered with snow until late in the summer.[7]

Etymology

The name for the mountain comes from Chinook Jargon, a trade language widely used in the area in the 19th century.[8] It is a combination of two words: pil, meaning "red," and chuck, meaning "water" or "river."[9] The name possibly comes from the fact that many of the rivers that come from the mountain are rich in iron, which can cause the water to look orangish-red.

The Lushootseed word for the mountain means "navel." It has also been recorded as bəlalwəʔ and bəlawəʔ.[3]

View as seen from Mount Pilchuck's fire lookout

References

  1. ^ a b "Mount Pilchuck, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  2. ^ "Pilchuck Mtn Lookout House". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  3. ^ a b Bates, Dawn; Hess, Thom; Hilbert, Vi (2003). Lushootseed Dictionary. University of Washington Press. p. 30. ISBN 0-295-97323-4. OCLC 843308724.
  4. ^ "Puget Sound Geographical names". Tulalip Tribes. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. ^ "View to the east from Mount Pichuck". Panoramio.com. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  6. ^ "View of Puget Sound from Mount Pichuck". Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  7. ^ "SAR responds to fifth rescue on Mt. Pilchuck in two weeks", Woodinville Weekly, June 26, 2017
  8. ^ Lang, George (2008). Making Wawa: The Genesis of Chinook Jargon. Vancouver: UBC Press. pp. especially 127–128. ISBN 978-0-7748-1526-0.
  9. ^ Gibbs, George (1863). DICTIONARY OF THE CHINOOK JARGON, OR, TRADE LANGUAGE OF OREGON (Abridged ed.). New York: Cramoisy Press. pp. 7–9.

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