The landscape around Loowit (my st Helens) is FAR from barren!

This is cool! Thanks

I can speak from experience in the last couple days, Snoqualmie pass is mostly snow free right now as far as I know. It was very wet and rainy when I went over, which can also be somewhat dangerous.

Should be fine now if you haven’t already left. Check the reports though.

There's good hiking in Indian Heaven. It's where I've gone for my last few and I plan on exploring it more in 2023. It's becoming one of my favorite places.

The big one was in 1980, but there had been active dome building up until 2008 with the occasional smaller eruption. I recall seeing a few steam plumes from Vancouver in 2004.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens#2004_to_2008_activity

Adams is the largest by volume - though not as tall as Rainier, it is made of a greater amount of rock overall.

Of the two, Rainier is more active and poses a much bigger threat to population centers.

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Wow!!!

I think in these instances, the substations were not shot from a distance.

Next they'll be asking the public to examine tire tracks.

Why is it also described as the largest active volcano in the state? Rainier is bigger and more active right?

The Appalachian mountain range is significantly older than the cascades, and have since eroded down to the "hills" we see today

Nice! Where have you lived before now?

Congrats! It gets even better, see if you can plan a trip to the North Cascades highway, Mt. Rainier and/or Hurricane Ridge! Check road conditions though, some close for the winter or temporarily.

Isn't Glacier further north and east of... Olympia (where OP's poster has it positioned)?

And if they don't, which government agency do we notify? The AG perhaps?

Depends how you define it, maybe. From 2004 to 2008 it was incredibly active and has been considered a “slow” eruption. It got a new lava dome and everything.

And I thought I had summited all of our volcanoes. Shouldn't be too tough to knock out the last 3 tho

It’s so beautiful!

🙌🙌🙌🙌

$0-$1 million!

The problem is not your car. The problem is trucks and 2WD cars with bald tires who think they can make it over the pass and end up blocking the road.

https://imgur.com/a/5hmO0Av/

Old Photo from 1981 and the other was in Popular Science 2020. It doesn’t have big trees surrounding it, but it is getting there slowly.

Most definitely no longer barren around St Helens. Making a solid comeback.

Since I live on Hwy 2, my go-to is the N Cascades loop: Hwy 2 to Chelan, N to Winthrop, W on 20 to Sedro-Wooley, S on I5 to Hwy 2 and back home. Hwy 20 will be the most scenic and interesting part, and have the most curves and fun sections of the road however it’s closed for the winter at the moment.

Fill your tank before you do the long stretch of Hwy 20, it can be a bit far with small gas tanks and curvy roads making people wrist happy. Stop in the fake Bavarian town of Leavenworth for a beer and a sausage… or the fake Wild West town of Winthrop for whatever they have which is probably going to cause food poisoning. You’ll also want to stop and hang out at the Diablo overlook most likely. The east section can be hot so bring mesh as well as rain gear. Part of Hwy 20 is fresh chip seal, and it will take a toll on your tires. From a Canadian point of view, you could start in Bellingham and run it the opposite way of what I have above.

Rainier is also worth visiting. Lake Crescent is also nice, as are the west coast beaches and Hoh Rainforest but there’s also a lot of boring road in that part of the state. The 101-106 road around Hood Canal is scenic but not very sporty and can have slow moving local traffic.

Send me a PM when it’s riding season if you want someone to do the loop with, assuming my slow touring bike can keep up with whatever you’re on.