Fire Mountains – Treks & Treasures
The people of Southwest Washington live in the shadows of three magnificent volcanoes. If you were to stand on Lone Tree Mountain overlooking the town of Randle in Lewis County, the summits of Mount Rainier to the north, Mount Adams to the southeast, and Mount St. Helens to the southwest would all be almost exactly 26 miles from you. There are few places on earth where you can be this close to three volcanoes at one time; one active, one resting somewhat peacefully, and one dormant.
Besides being interesting geologically as volcanoes, these three perennially snow-capped peaks have a myriad of recreation opportunities associated with them and their surrounding landscapes. Besides the obvious mountain climbing, the areas around all three offer outstanding hiking, sightseeing, camping, hunting, fishing, boating, and many other popular forms of outdoor recreation.
Every year, as many as three million visitors from all over the globe come to the Pacific Northwest to see one or more of these mountains. Fire Mountain Treks and Treasures is a collection of hikes and adventures to some of the exceptional and picturesque sites within this area, including a number that are fascinating and unique but little known and off the beaten path.
About Buddy Rose (Lewis County, Washington Author)
Buddy Rose has spent almost his entire life living and working in Lewis County, Washington. He grew up in the former town of Riffe and lived there until 1963 when, at the age of 15, his family was forced to sell their condemned home and property to the City of Tacoma so they could construct a hydroelectric dam on the Cowlitz River. He and his mother relocated to Centralia, Washington, where he finished high school.
After a couple of years of college at the University of Washington, Rose enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Working in aerial reconnaissance photography, he served a year in Vietnam during the war there and then finished his four-year enlistment in England. Following his military service, Rose returned to Lewis County and worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Randle, Washington for more than 30 years.
After retiring in 2003, Rose took up free-lance writing, and wrote hundreds of outdoor articles for The Chronicle newspaper in Centralia. Since 2007, he has been a popular contributor of outdoor and local history articles for the East County Journal in Morton, Washington.
