Mount Stuart

Mount Stuart is a mountain in the Cascade Range, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the second highest non-volcanic peak in the state, after Bonanza Peak and tenth-highest overall. Mount Stuart is the highest peak in the Stuart Range, and it is located in the central part of the Washington Cascades, south of Stevens Pass and east of Snoqualmie Pass in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Mount Stuart was given its name by George B. McClellan on August 26, 1853, in honor of his oldest and best friend, "the late Capt. Jas. Stuart of the Rifles—a gallant soldier & accomplished gentleman."

Mount Stuart is more notable for its local relief than for its absolute elevation. For example, the south face rises 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in just 2 horizontal miles (3.2 km). The northeast and northwest sides of the mountain exhibit similar steep relief. Due to its location away from higher peaks, Mount Stuart has a topographic prominence of 5,354 feet (1,632 m), making it the sixth most prominent in the state. The rock of Mount Stuart is unusually rugged and unstable, due to the extensive jointing of the granite.

It is not known for sure who made the first ascent of Mount Stuart. According to Fred Beckey: "Claude Rusk... was told by Frank Bryant of Yakima about finding a stick at the summit bearing the name `Angus McPherson—1873.' A. H. Sylvester, who climbed to the summit in 1897 and 1899 for triangulation, believed the first ascent was made by Richard U. Goode and Frank Tweedy during the Northern Pacific land survey about 1890 or 1885." Also, since the easiest route is not technical, a much earlier Native American ascent is a possibility.

The standard route is the Southeast Route, which has several variations. All of these ascend gullies on the southeast slopes of the mountain to a false summit just southeast of the main summit, and finish along a short ridge. The route involves scrambling, and often, steep snow. Far more technical climbs are available on the complex north face of the mountain.