Mount Pershing


Mount Pershing is a 6,154 ft massif in the Olympic Mountains and is located in Mason County of Washington state. It is situated in the Mount Skokomish Wilderness on land managed by Olympic National Forest. The mountain's name honors General of the Armies John J. Pershing. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Washington at to the south-southeast. Precipitation runoff drains into the Hamma Hamma River.

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust. The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

Climate

Mount Pershing is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Olympic Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall. As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months. 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. Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.