It was a rainy morning on a cold, October day when I developed a new lens for reading the landscape of western Washington. I embarked from the Environmental Learning Center, at dark, with my North Cascades Institute nametag and field journal at the ready. The next morning, I found myself amidst a large crowd of unfamiliar faces and introductory chatter. This field trip was a celebratory event, to kick off the Annual Geologic Society of America Meeting in Seattle. Over fifty geologists of varying ages surrounded me, armed with rain gear and umbrellas. All had come eager to discuss the history of landslides in western Washington.

We met along the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River just outside of Darrington, WA. I had driven along this road many times, questioning the large gouge in the hillside, perhaps a gravel pit or mining operation? Hiking up a Forest Service road on the facing hillside, we cleared the valley floor and ascended to where we could see this large scour from across the river. From this vantage, the extent of the destruction was clear. Read More from “Glacial Mud and Deadly Landslides: A Legacy of Glaciation in Western Washington”