Caped Cascadia: Sustainability Superhero

Lover of the great outdoors, Caped Cascadia fights for environmental preservation and animal protection across the Pacific Northwest. She bravely forwards her cause through volunteering, voting, advocating, tithing to the cause, and walking her talk to lead humanity toward a humane, sustainable culture. Her superpower is her ability, through the powers of informed logic and articulate debate, to transform even the most self-indulgent, irresponsible consumers into mindful, conscientious citizens of the earth.

Note her sturdy runners and walking stick for long hikes, all purpose gloves for organic gardening, kayaking or snow shoeing, yoga tights and leotard, “whale pin” donation thank you gift from People for Puget Sound, short-cropped hair for easy care when swimming, camping, and participating in old growth forest sit-ins, the forest twigs that nonetheless got caught in her ‘do when she was sitting up in the ancient Douglas Fir, belt of quarters for riding the bus, and her “big dog” companion Gifford (all Cascadians love big dogs).


Thanks to Becky at “Girl in Short Shorts”, who clued me into the Superhero Creation Tool!

The Mountain is Out

“The Mountain is out!” If you say this, just about any Washingtonian will turn to look, because they know exactly what you mean. There in only one Mountain (with a capital M). It is Mount Rainier. This is because, on a clear day, it is visible to almost everyone who lives here. Standing over 14,400 feet tall, it is not only the highest peak in Washington State, but in the entire Cascade range. (A unifying symbol of a state with diverse landscapes and communities, the Mountain was chosen to represent Washington on the state’s quarter.)

Left: A view of Rainier from Seattle.

The Mountain is a magnificent place… a wonderland of old growth, temperate rain forest, alpine meadows that bloom like a festival in early summer, and wicked glacier fields and craggy peaks year around. It is a magnet for hikers, climbers, skiers and other wilderness sport enthusiasts. The entire mountain resides inside Mt. Rainier National Park and the vast majority of the park is designated as wilderness, which means it is protected by strict conservation laws but is also accessible for certain types of (non motorized) recreation. Rainier is a live volcano (although there has been no significant activity for over a hundred and fifty years) and lahar (volcanic mudslide) warning systems are installed in towns near the mountain.

It is also, simply, a sight to behold. Rising from surrounding miles of evergreen forest, it dominates the skyline. And, when someone says “the Mountain is out,” it is the best of days. It means the sky is clear and the beauty of the region is in its full glory. Like today.