Living Mountains

Doug McConnell

I just heard a report on National Public Radio about the power of volcanoes in Iceland. I’ve filmed in Iceland a few times and would love to get back soon. Iceland is ruggedly beautiful and its natural environment is as wild as many of the western landscapes we celebrate here at OpenRoad.TV.

Photo:  Stacy Geiken 

Iceland’s volcanoes got me thinking about our own. One of my favorites is California’s Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lassen last erupted less than 100 years ago. Its plumes were caught on early film. Today, though Lassen is alive, it slumbers at the southern edge of the Cascade Range that stretches north through Oregon and Washington to Southern British Columbia and includes Mt. Ranier, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and other volcanoes that might someday awaken.

You can see our story on Mt. Shasta here and we’ll have stories here soon about some of these other peaks and would like very much to hear your own tales about exploring the volcanic wonders of the West. But for now, check out our story on Lassen and go visit when you have a chance. The crowds are low and the rewards are high.

By the way, if you want to see the longest running volcanic show on earth, leap on a plane and fly to the Big Island of Hawaii. The Kilauea Volcano has been erupting there continuously since 1983. But if you can’t get to Hawaii right away, no worries you can feel the heat right here and join me just an arm’s length from molten lava. Out west many of our mountains are very much alive and in the process of creation.