The Volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest
 

I have always been fascinated by these majestic but potentially ultra-desctructive giants that have surrounded me for 99% of my life. I don't know how broad the appeal will be, but I fell like talking about it after my trip to Crater Lake on Sunday. I will be hitting the high points (as it were), the major peaks, I can't talk about every one or I'd be typing all week.

This will be the Washington half of the Cascades, pt. 2 will be Oregon:

Mt. Baker

http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/659454.jpg


This is a pretty active volcano. It sends up little puffs of steam pretty often. This image was taken in 1981

http://www.musicbanter.com/members/p...r-fumarole.jpg

It is the second most glaciated volcano of the cascades after Rainier, in fact the glaciers of Baker would add up to the glaciers of every other cascade volcano *combined* except Raimier.

Glacier Peak

http://www.skimountaineer.com/Cascad...akFromPugh.jpg


A 10,000 foot peak but mostly because it sets on a high perch. It's really not that big or, despite it's name, that glaciated.

Mt. Rainier

http://www.danheller.com/images/Unit...-bldgs-big.jpg


This is the big one. This mountain is fecking HUGE and if/when this thing ever blows, it will be horribly destructive. There are 16 "Decade Volcanoes" in the world, this is one of them. Heavily populated all the way to it's base, and one of the most glaciated mountains in the world, the lahars that this mountain could produce would cost tens of thousands in lives and billions in damage

Mt. Adams

http://www.djensenphotography.com/im...klahk-240-.jpg

The most remote of the major Washington peaks, sometimes referred to as Ol' Flattop. The second highest peak in Washington after Rainier

Mt. St. Helens

http://www.history.com/s3static/vide...ll_624x352.jpg

I was 22 years old when the big and I do mean BIG eruption happened in 1980, it's a sight I'll never forget. I even saw it erupt that summer, I was in a Portland Tri-Met bus and the driver pointed and exclaimed "There goes St. Helens!", as a huge plume of ash exploded thousands of feet into the clear blue sky

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view1/170...erupting-o.gif

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-animation.gif

Morthwest.

*facepalm*


Could a mod please correct this?


AH CAINT TIPE

What's the city or town at the bottom of Mt.Rainer, I've always liked cities with a mountainous background?

Puyallup, Washington - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Smaller but even closer to Rainier than Puyallup sits Orting, this image from the golf course there


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ingRainier.JPG

Pt 2 - Oregon & N. California
 

Mt. Hood

http://www.nordisksystems.com/_images/mthood.jpg


One of the most frequently climbed snowcapped 10,000+ ft. mountains in the world, mainly because you can drive all the way to the bare face of the mountain at Timberline Lodge

http://pendletonblog.files.wordpress...ne_lodge_m.jpg

If TL looks familiar it's because The Shining used exterior shots of the lodge.




Mt. Jefferson

http://www.oregontravels.com/_mounta.../Jefferson.jpg


This is one of my favorites, the above view is from the west side of the mountain, it's craggy crevassed west face is just remarkably different than it's east face

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...son_Oregon.jpg


Three Sisters

http://www.permatopia.com/wetlands/i...ee_sisters.jpg


South Sister (the highest one closest to the camera in the above pic) is considered to be the most likely of the Oregon peaks to erupt in the current generation, in fact in the last decade there was a watch on South Sister as it showed some slight bulging in a similar way to what St. Helens did prior to the big 1980 eruption


Mt. Mazama, aka Crater Lake

http://www.highonadventure.com/Hoa08...0Lake%20sm.jpg

All I will say about this is go see it, if you didn't see my posts from there, take a look

Then the California peaks

Mt. Shasta

http://www.crystalinks.com/mtshasta.jpg


At 14,179 feet second in the Cascades only to Rainier in elevation, Mt.Shasta is a spectacular peak that truly dominates the landscape of S. Oregon & N. California.

Lassen Peak

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1998/fs173-98/images/erupt.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Peak-Large.jpg

Kind of an ugly peak really but I felt I had to include it as it was the most recent eruption (1915) aside from St. Helens

34 years ago today
 

Beautiful and terrifying pictures Paul. Cool stuff.

That fuckin North West kid has everything... :(

Awesome pics.