Woden - The Valhallas

Woden is a 6,038-foot (1,840-metre) mountain summit located within Olympic National Park in Jefferson County of Washington state. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Tom, 3 mi (4.8 km) to the north-northwest, and Mount Olympus rises 3.8 mi (6.1 km) to the north-northeast.[1] Woden is the highest point in The Valhallas, a sub-range south of Mount Olympus. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the South Fork Hoh River and Queets River. The Geri-Freki Glacier, which descends north from Woden. is the only glacier in The Valhallas.

Woden - The Valhallas
Woden, from Hugin  
Highest point
Elevation6,038 ft (1,840 m) [1]
Prominence1,038 ft (316 m) [1]
Parent peakMount Tom (7,076 ft)[1]
Isolation2.96 mi (4.76 km) [2]
Coordinates47°45′04″N 123°44′41″W [1]
Geography
Woden - The Valhallas
Location in Washington
Woden - The Valhallas
Woden - The Valhallas (the United States)
LocationOlympic National Park
Jefferson County, Washington, US
Parent rangeOlympic Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Mount Olympus
Geology
Age of rockEocene
Climbing
First ascent1966 by Ernie Labistida, Ivan Lundgren[3]
Easiest routeclass 4 climbing via NE corner[3]

History

These peaks were originally named "Pleiades Peaks" by Robert L. Wood, a reference to the seven daughters of Atlas in Greek mythology, however this name did not stick. Glenn Kelsey and Harold Pinsch climbed in this area in 1970 and are credited with the Valhallas name.[4] In Norse mythology, "Valhalla" is a great hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin, who in Old English was known as "Woden". The peak, Woden, may have originally been named "Mount O'Neil" by the 1890 Seattle Press Expedition in honor of Lt. Joseph O'Neil, who led an earlier 1885 exploration into the Olympic wilderness.[4] The first ascent of Woden was made in 1966 by Ernie Labistida and Ivan Lundgren.[3]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, The Valhallas are located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[5] 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 (Orographic lift). 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. The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing these peaks.

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust.[6] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

Summits

Select named peaks of The Valhalla Range[7] All are named after Norse gods, except Sleipner (Odin's horse) and Pelton.

Name Elevation (feet) Prominence (feet) First ascent Reference
Woden 6,038 1,038 1966 [1]
Hugin 6,000+ 80 1966 [8]
Munin 6,000+ 160 1971 [9]
Thor 5,968 328 1971 [10]
Loki 5,920+ 1971 [11]
Baldur 5,720+ 160 1971 [12]
Mimir 5,480+ 40 1978 [13]
Vili 5,487 87 1978 [14]
Frigga 5,406 246 1971 [15]
Bragi 5,400+ 40 1978 [16]
Vidar 5,637 677 1978 [17]
Mount Sleipner 5,520 520 1978 [18]
Pelton Peak 5,301 541 [19]
  • The Valhallas with Geri-Freki Glacier
  • Front to back: Queets River, The Valhallas, Mt. Olympus
  • Baldur centered, Frigga to right.
  • Woden centered, Hugin immediately left, Munin upper right

See also

References
  1. "The Valhallas-Woden". Peakbagger.com.
  2. ""Woden" - 6,038' WA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  3. Woden climbersguideolympics.com
  4. Parratt, Smitty (1984). Gods and Goblins: A Field Guide to Place Names of Olympic National Park (1st ed.).
  5. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.
  6. Alt, D.D.; Hyndman, D.W. (1984). Roadside Geology of Washington. pp. 249–259. ISBN 0-87842-160-2.
  7. Valhalla Range, climbersguideolympics.com
  8. "Hugin, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  9. "The Valhallas-Munin, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  10. "The Valhallas-Thor, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  11. "Loki, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  12. "Baldur, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  13. "Mimir, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  14. "Vili, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  15. "Frigga, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  16. "Bragi, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  17. "Vidar North, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  18. "Sleipner, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  19. "Pelton Peak, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
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