Hanging Glacier (Mount Shuksan)

Mount Shuksan is a glaciated massif in the North Cascades National Park. Shuksan rises in Whatcom County, Washington immediately to the east of Mount Baker, and 11.6 miles (18.7 km) south of the Canada–US border. The mountain's name Shuksan is derived from the Lummi word [šéqsən], said to mean "high peak". The highest point on the mountain is a three-sided peak known as Summit Pyramid.The mountain is composed of Shuksan greenschist, oceanic basalt that was metamorphosed when the Easton terrane collided with the west coast of North America, approximately 120 million years ago. The mountain is an eroded remnant of a thrust plate formed by the Easton collision. The Mount Baker Highway, State Route 542, is kept open during the winter to support Mt. Baker Ski Area. In late summer, the road to Artist Point allows visitors to travel a few miles higher for a closer view of the peak. Picture Lake is accessible on the highway and reflects the mountain, making it a popular site for photography. Sulphide Creek Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America, plunges off the southeastern flank of Mount Shuksan. There are four other tall waterfalls that spill off Mount Shuksan and neighboring Jagged Ridge and Seahpo Peak, mostly sourced from small snowfields and glaciers. The traditional name of Mount Shuksan in the Nooksack language is Shéqsan ("high foot") or Ch’ésqen ("golden eagle"). Both the Nooksack and Lummi are indigenous tribes who have occupied the watersheds of the Nooksack Rivers and Lummi River, respectively. They are both federally recognized tribes in the United States. The first ascent of Mount Shuksan is usually attributed to Asahel Curtis and W. Montelius Price on September 7, 1906. However, in a 1907 letter to the editor of the Mazamas club journal, C. E. Rusk attributed the first ascent to Joseph Morowits in 1897. He said that he himself would have attempted it in 1903 if he had not been sure that it had already been climbed.

Upper Curtis Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the west slopes of Mount Shuksan. Upper Curtis Glacier is not connected to Lower Curtis Glacier downslope to the southwest, but is to Hanging Glacier to the north and to Sulphide Glacier to the east.

Crystal Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the south slopes of Mount Shuksan. Descending 1.25 mi (2.01 km) from just east of the summit of Mount Shuksan, near its origination point, Crystal Glacier is connected to the larger Sulphide Glacier to the west. Crystal Glacier descends from 8,200 to 5,800 ft (2,500 to 1,800 m), and is also connected to East Nooksack Glacier as well as Hanging Glacier near it uppermost margins. Both Crystal and Sulphide Glaciers have a series of 300-to-1,000-foot (91 to 305 m) high cascades which are collectively referred to as Sulphide Basin Falls. Below these cascades lies Sulphide Lake, which empties over Sulphide Creek Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in North America with a nearly 2,200 ft (670 m) drop.

Price Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the northeast slopes of Mount Shuksan, below the subpeak known as Nooksack Tower. Price Glacier descends from 8,600 to 4,200 ft (2,600 to 1,300 m) and is the steepest and most heavily crevasseed glacier on Mount Shuksan. The disconnected lowest portions of Price Glacier calve small icebergs into Price Lake. Price Glacier was named for mountaineer William M. Price, who climbed Mount Shuksan in 1906 and 1915.

Nooksack Tower (8,285 feet (2,525 m)) is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Nooksack Tower is part of the Mount Shuksan Massif and is .75 mi (1.21 km) northeast of the main summit of Shuksan. Nooksack Tower looms to the west over Nooksack Cirque. The East Nooksack Glacier lies to the southeast, West Nooksack Glacier to the east and Price Glacier is on the north flanks of the tower. Nooksack Tower is one of the most difficult mountains to climb in the Cascade Range, with loose rock, 50-degree or greater slopes and ice ridges as well as accessibility issues and exposure, all weighing into the climbing equation. The descent may require ten or more rappels.

Price Lake is located in North Cascades National Park, in the U. S. state of Washington. Price Lake was formed by the retreat of Price Glacier, which descends from the north slopes of Mount Shuksan. Price Glacier is broken into an upper and lower section and the lower section sometimes calves small icebergs into Price Lake.

White Salmon Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the west slopes of Mount Shuksan. White Salmon Glacier is a series of small glaciers that descend to the north from a ridge feature known as Shuksan Arm. A climbers route follows the White Salmon Glacier to Fisher Chimney which provides a faster approach than others to the summit of Mount Shuksan.

Sulphide Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the south slopes of Mount Shuksan. Descending 1.85 mi (2.98 km) from the summit tower of Mount Shuksan, it is connected to Crystal Glacier to the east. Sulphide Glacier descends from 8,600 to 5,600 ft (2,600 to 1,700 m). Sulphide Glacier is along the route taken when Mount Shuksan was first climbed in 1906. Both Sulphide and Crystal Glaciers have a series of 300-to-1,000-foot (91 to 305 m) high cascades which are collectively referred to as Sulphide Basin Falls. Below these cascades lies Sulphide Lake, which empties over Sulphide Creek Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in North America with a nearly 2,200 ft (670 m) drop.

Lower Curtis Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Named for photographer Asahel Curtis, the glacier is in a cirque on the western slopes of Mount Shuksan. Lower Curtis Glacier is rapidly retreating and has a negative mass balance, meaning that the rate of snow and ice that is falling in the accumulation zone is less than that which is lost each year in the ablation zone. Between 1908 and 1984, the glacier experienced a loss of thickness by 45 meters (147 ft). Between 1984 and 2002, the glacier lost another 6 meters (19 ft) in thickness. Lower Curtis Glacier also lost 28% of its surface area between the end of the little ice age (around 1850) and 1950. Between the years 1951 and 1979, the glacier actually lengthened by 245 meters (800 ft) but has retreated 184 m (600 ft) since 1985, partly due to the tongue of the glacier being on a steep precipice which may have increased the loss of ice at the termini.

Nooksack Cirque is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the eastern slopes of Mount Shuksan. Nooksack Cirque was formed by glaciers and the East Nooksack Glacier is located in the cirque below the headwall known as Jagged Ridge. The cirque extends from a subpeak of Mount Shuksan called Nooksack Tower to Seahpo Peak, a distance of over 2 mi (3.2 km) in width. Nooksack Cirque streams and meltwater from the East Nooksack Glacier form the headwaters for the Nooksack River.

West Nooksack Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the eastern slopes of Mount Shuksan, immediately northeast of the subpeak called Nooksack Tower. West Nooksack Glacier is only .10 mi (0.16 km) in length and is a glacial remnant. West Nooksack Glacier provides meltwater for the Nooksack River.

Sulphide Lake is located in North Cascades National Park, in the U. S. state of Washington. Sulphide Lake lies in a cirque on the southeast slopes of Mount Shuksan. Several major cascades drop as much as 1,000 ft (300 m) into Sulphide Lake including Sulphide Basin Falls which is from melt off the Sulphide Glacier. After Sulphide Creek drains from Sulphide lake, it then plunges at least 2,000 ft (610 m) over a series of cascades called Sulphide Creek Falls, which is one of the tallest waterfalls in the U.S.The lake is in a basin with near vertical walls and the rock is phyllite and greenschist. Above the lake on the cliffs below Crystal Glacier a 0.3 mile wide band stained red in color (from iron oxide) is exposed that runs for about 2.5 miles. This band is rich in the iron sulfides pyrite and pyrrhotite. Presumably this is the source of the lake's name.