About Fire Mountains Treks & Treasures
Presented by Buddy Rose, Author
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. Join
us to discover a collection of hikes and adventures to some of the exceptional
and picturesque sites within this area, including a number that are
historically fascinating and unique but little known and off the beaten path.
About the Speaker:
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.
