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View from the summit of Mt. Pugh (elev. 7,201') in the North Cascades near Darrington, Washington. The summit stands aloof by itself along w/ the nearby White Chuck Mountain & Sloan Peak to the south, known as the Matterhorn of the North Cascades. Seattle & the Puget Sound is below in the clouds, but distant views of the Olympics are visible looking west towards Mt. Pilchuck, south one can see the Kyes Peak region north of the town of Index as well as a ghostly white view of Mt. Rainier. To the southeast one can see Mt. Stuart & the Enchantments north of Cle Elum. To the east is a grand view of Glacier Peak & the Kololo Peaks region, where glacier retreat is significant. Dome Peak & Eldorado Peak are glaciated peaks to the northeast & to the north one can get a glimpse of the Picket Range, Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker, & Twin Sisters Peaks. Northwest is Darrington in the Ice Age sculpted glacial valley below, the two jagged peaks of Whitehorse Mountain & Three Fingers is to the south in prominent view. The true summit is the slender granite boulder rising ten feet in the direction of White Chuck Mountain & Mt. Baker, easy to sprint up & sit atop. A well maintained trail w/ some exposure leads to the top from the trailhead pass below leading to Stujack Pass before minor scrambling is involved. With a grand view of the picturesque North Cascades, it's no wonder this summit was chosen to house a fire lookout tower, which was built in 1919 but destroyed by lightning in 1927 & rebuilt before being permanently removed in 1965. Look directly below the summit towards the east in the direction of Glacier Peak to see a tiny glacier at the bottom w/ crevasses, eventually soon to disappear w/ polished bedrock nearby indicating its former size. Zoom in roughly halfway in the panorama b/w Sloan Peak & Mt. Rainier to capture a glimpse of the top of Mt. Adams, appearing like a speck of a white cloud.
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
