Volcanoes of the Pacific North West

The Cascade Mountain Range forms a spine running the length of western Washington, Oregon and California. At regular intervals it is dotted with majestic volcanic cones gleaming white with year round snow and glaciers. The most famous of these is Mt.St.Helens, known for periodic eruptions of steam and ash shooting thousands of feet into the sky.

    In between violent eruptions the mountain settles down, the plants and animals move back in and the glaciers begin to reform. Robert and I stopped in 1993 and observed the blowdown  from the blast eleven years earlier.  Trees are now filling in these bare areas, herds of elk roam these slopes and the view point is so overgrown it is hard to see the mountain from the same vantage point where we'd parked the Chang Jiang and took these photos.

6~8~2005 Mt.St.Helens belching a little steam and ash

North of Mt.St.Helens stands Mt.Rainier, at 14,410 feet the tallest of the Cascade mountain peaks. 

this photo was taken coming down the mountain during a winter snow camp...              Tara took this one at another snow camp on Mt.Rainier   

Just east of Mt.St.Helens is another snow capped peak. The second highest peak in the North West, Mt. Adams stands 12,326 feet high. Now dormant, this volcano last erupted over 3000 years ago.   These majestic mountains dominate the landscape and are visible for many, many miles. Here is the view of Adams from the ridge behind my place:

 ...and Mt.Adams from in front of my house:

Looking back at Mt.Adams from the northern reaches of Gifford Pinchot Nat'l Forest...  

Mt.Hood stands just over 11,200 feet and is surrounded by over a million acres of National Forest.

   Mt. Hood from Trillium Lake during the Black Dog Dualsport Rally 

Approaching Timberline Lodge

Mt. Hood from Hood River as a classic Triumph ~ Velorex sidecar crosses the Columbia River

A Dnepr outfit on the north slopes of Mt.Hood

Looking south from the edge of Badger Creek Wilderness on the slopes of Mt.Hood, we can see Mt.Jefferson in the distance...    

Another glimpse of Mt.Jefferson, from the northwest...

Thanks to Peter Russell for these photos of the South Sister.

South and Middle Sister

South Sister from Green Lakes

More photos from Peter Russell, this one of Mt. Washington

...and Mt. Bachelor

I took these photographs of Crater Lake during a BigFoot  Sidecar Rally back in 1991

All photos and articles Copyright^© Vernon Wade 2005 unless otherwise noted