Mount Index

Mount Index
Elevation	5,991 ft (1,826 m) NGVD 29[1]
Prominence	2,991 ft (912 m) [1]
Location
Mount Index King / Snohomish counties, Washington, USA
Range	Cascade Range
Coordinates	47°46′28″N 121°34′51″W / 47.7745488°N 121.5809415°W / 47.7745488; -121.5809415Coordinates: 47°46′28″N 121°34′51″W / 47.7745488°N 121.5809415°W / 47.7745488; -121.5809415[2]
Climbing
First ascent	First recorded ascent on October 29, 1911 by H. B. Hinman, Ernest Martin, Lee Pickett, George E. Wright
Easiest route	Hike/scramble

Mount Index is a peak in the central part of the Cascade Range of Washington state. It lies just south of the Skykomish River and U.S. Route 2, at the western edge of the Cascades. Despite its relatively low elevation, it is a famous and dramatic landmark, as it comprises three pointed spires which rise steeply from a very low base. The the main peak is the southernmost of the three, while the North Peak rises even more steeply above the valley. For example, it rises more than 4,250 ft (1,300m) above the lower slopes on the northeast side in less than 1 horizontal mile (1.6 km).

The first recorded ascent of Mount Index (the main peak) was on October 29, 1911 by H. B. Hinman, Ernest Martin, Lee Pickett, George E. Wright. However, they found a flagpole already on the summit, so theirs was certainly not the first ascent. Since the easiest route is non-technical, a much earlier ascent by Native Americans is likely. The first ascent of the steeper, more difficult North Peak was in 1929, by Lionel Chute and Victor Kaartinen, by the North Face Route.

The standard route on the main peak climbs the east side of the peak from Lake Serene. The standard route on the North Peak is the North Face Route, which is a long, moderately technical climb (Grade III, Class 5.6).

The Mount Index was once known as West Index Mountain,^[2] and Baring Mountain was known as Mount Index instead.^[3] They were both renamed in 1917.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mount Index, Washington". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2045. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Mount Index". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1521160. 
3. ^ "Baring Mountain". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1516135. 
4. ^ Beckey, Fred W. (2003). Cascade Alpine Guide, Vol. 2, Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass (3rd ed.). Mountaineers Books. p. 41. ISBN 978-0898868388. 

External links

• "Mount Index" (map). TopoQuest.com. http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=47.77455&lon=-121.58094&datum=nad83&zoom=4&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=l. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
• "All Washington Peaks with 2000 Feet of Prominence". Jeff Howbert. http://howbert.netherweb.com/mountains/WA_all_2000P/WA_all_2000P_list_Psort.html. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
• "Mount Index". SummitPost.org. http://www.summitpost.org/page/150645. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
• "Lake Serene, Washington". Peak Fever. July, 2002. http://www.peakfever.com/hike-info-02.php. Retrieved 2011-04-21.