One of the most violent channels along the coast of the United States can be found off Cape Disappointment, at the mouth of the Columbia River. The cape is on the north side of the Columbia River as it flows into the Pacific, between Washington and Oregon.
The Columbia is a major river, flowing from Alberta and British Columbia into Washington State, with a watershed that also includes parts of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, as well as Washington and Oregon. Overall, the Columbia pours more water into the Pacific than any other North American river.
When the water reaches the ocean, it is quite a bit warmer than the deep, cold waters of the Pacific. It is also moving swiftly, and the fast-moving warm water hitting the cold, relatively still waters makes for some of the most treacherous currents along the entire US coast. The Coast Guard has taken advantage of this to train boat crews in how to handle rescue craft in rough seas.
Cape Disappointment was named by John Meares, a British fur trader who tried to find a river rumored to be in the area but could not find it. What he thought was the entrance was just a cape, and he named it after his disappointment. It would remain hidden from European explorers by fogs, mist, storms and dangerous currents for another four years.
