Geology Underfoot in Western Washington

As you wander around in this amazing state of ours, are you like me and gaze at the intricate rock formations and mammoth stone features as you make your way along trails and shoreline and wonder to know what forces brought them about? I usually don’t buy books these days but when I saw this on at Costco this past week I just had to pick it up.

I love knowing how the sights I see around me were created and I want to be able to give words to the works of nature that are so abundant in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve even thought about taking a class but for now this will help quench my thirst for geological knowledge. Geology Underfoot is a series of books from various regions in the United States, this one written by Dave Tucker.

Dave Tucker is a research associate at Western Washington University and his book is chock full with facts and pictures that will help you learn more about the dynamic geological formations of our area, from the mighty Columbia River to Snoqualmie Falls to the iconic Artist Point.

Do you know what an erractic is? I now know it is one of those humongous boulders that you see that appear to have dropped out of the sky or rolled down off a mountain peak to stand alone and obvious out of place with their surroundings. This rock doesn’t match the surrounding bedrock having been carried along by a glacier and randomly deposited far from where it originated. Dave’s book not only describes these mammoth beasts bigger than your house but gives you directions to where they are. Did you know one of the largest in the U.S. is right here in Lake Stevens??

Have you visited the Ape Caves of Mt. St. Helens yet? I remember tunneling down from the upper cave with my friend’s 8 year old some years ago and wondering at how they came to be, especially as we scrambled over boulders with our heads almost touching the ceiling, and figured out how to drop down the 8ft lava fall in the middle by ourselves. Dave shares about how these lava tubes have formed from the volcanic activity of Mt. St. Helens and gives you some fun details you can use on your visit.

Who hasn’t gazed at the glaciers of Rainier and thought about the melting of Earth’s time keepers? Dave offers some time lapse pictures that show how these giant sheets of ice and stone are receding, as well as the inevitability that Rainier will once again send mud and debris down into the valleys at her feet. If you have hiked the Wonderland Trail, you might have pondered this very idea!

You can also find Dave over on his blog, Northwest Geology Field Trips. He shares some of the geological field trips he has lead, more pictures and connects to others in the state with the same fascination for understanding the way our state was formed and changed over the years.

I was so excited by Geology Underfoot in Western Washington that I shared it with my friend Rudy over at Cascade Hiker Podcast and he plans to interview Dave in the future. As soon as it comes out, I’ll share the podcast with you! And in the meantime, go pick his book up at Costco ($14.99), Mountain Press or your favorite book store and add some more fun to your next hike by knowing some interesting geological facts about what you see!

Want some hike ideas for finding extraordinary geology in the Pacific Northwest? Here are just a few mentioned in the book!