Napeequa River

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Napeequa River
The Napeequa River as seen from Little Giant Pass

The Napeequa River from the Little Giant Pass of view

Data
Water code US :  1523573
location Chelan County , Washington , USA
River system Columbia River
Drain over White River  → Wenatchee River  → Columbia River  → Pacific
source northwest of county
48 ° 4 ′ 36 ″  N , 120 ° 59 ′ 58 ″  W
muzzle near the Twin Lakes in the White River Coordinates: 47 ° 55 ′ 15 "  N , 120 ° 53 ′ 47"  W 47 ° 55 ′ 15 "  N , 120 ° 53 ′ 47"  W

length 31 km

The Napeequa River is a 31 km long river in Washington state on the east side of the Cascade Range . It rises in northwest Chelan County and flows southwest into the White River near the Twin Lakes. The White River flows into Lake Wenatchee . The Napeequa River and its valley are notable for their beauty and isolation, as well as their geological history. The river flows through a remote, south-east facing valley, which is characterized by vast meadows surrounded by rugged mountains. The Chiwawa Mountains (also: Chiwawa Ridge) mark the east side of the valley and separate the Napeequa from the Chiwawa River . To the west, the White Mountains separate the Napeequa from the White River. Both mountain ranges belong to the cascade range.

The river is part of the basin of the Columbia River and a tributary of the Chiwawa River, which flows into the Wenatchee River, a tributary of the Columbia River.

A large number of field names in the Napeequa River Basin, including the river name itself, were coined by Albert H. Sylvester .

course

The Napeequa River has its source at Butterfly Glacier in the Glacier Peak Wilderness . It flows west a short distance and then enters its mainly south-east facing valley. Near the entrance to the valley, a south-flowing stream flows to the Napeequa from the High Pass. While it flows southeast through the valley, the Louis Creek (coming from the north) and then an unnamed stream flow, which flows eastward from the Pliz and Richardson glaciers. Numerous small streams cascade down from the high slopes of the Napeequa Valley. The valley widens significantly and flattens out as the river meanders leisurely. Hiking trails reach the valley via the Boulder Pass and the Little Giant Pass (both over 2,000 m high - the valley floor in this area is about 1,200 m high) and cross the White Mountains or the Chiwawa Ridge. Many backpackers find their way to or from the High Pass / Triad Lake immediately north of the Napeequa headwaters. There are no trails in the valley that do not lead over high passes. Downstream the valley walls approach each other for a certain distance, then the valley widens again. Many tributaries come from the steep slopes on either side of the glacial valley. On its last mile, the Napeequa turns west and flows into the White River. It is reinforced from the south by Lake Creek, which drains the Twin Lakes.

The Napeequa Valley runs southeast from the Twin Lakes, but is occupied by Big Meadow Creek, a tributary of the Chiwawa River. Big Meadow Creek may once have been a tributary of the Napeequa, but was tapped by the Chiwawa . The Napeequa Valley is often compared to the fabulous Shangri-La . The valley is part of the Glacier Peak Wilderness .

geology

Fred Beckey calls the Napeequa River Valley the "most interesting valley" in the region. It is a classically shaped trough valley , with a flat bottom and almost straight. Its current shape was formed by a Pleistocene glacier. The lower valley is so wide and shallow that the Napeequa River slowly meanders through it. Near the Twin Lakes, the Napeequa makes an abrupt westward turn and leaves the valley through a steep gorge that cuts through the gneiss rocks of the 2,000 m high mountain ranges between the valleys of the Napeequa and the White River. Big Meadow Creek occupies the southern portion of the same glacier-shaped valley and flows southeast to the Chiwawa River. It is possible that the Napeequa River once flowed through the entire valley including the southern section occupied by Big Meadow Creek. It is also possible that a large lake was formed when the ice retreated.

history

The river was once known as the North Fork White River. The head of the Forest Service, AH Sylvester, changed the name to Napeequa, a Salish word for "white water", because the water of the river is almost white due to the high load of mud in the spring and summer. According to William Bright, the name "perhaps comes from Sinkiuse and means place of white water ."

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Calculated in Google Earth
  2. ↑ a b Fred Beckey : Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass , 3rd Edition, The Mountaineers , 2003, pp. 145-146.
  3. ↑ Ira Spring, Harvey Manning: 100 Classic Hikes in Washington . Mountaineers Books, 1998, ISBN 978-0-89886-586-8 , p. 116.
  4. ↑ Napeequa River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  5. ↑ Napeequa River ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Tacoma Public Library - Washington Place Names @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / search.tpl.lib.wa.us
  6. ^ William Bright: Native American placenames of the United States . University of Oklahoma Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4 , p. 313.