| Exceptional Mountains: A Cultural History of the Pacific Northwest Volcanoes Subjects: Northwest Pacific -- Geography; Northwest Pacific -- Environmental conditions; Volcanoes -- Social aspects -- Northwest Pacific -- History; Mountains -- Social aspects -- Northwest Pacific -- History; Regionalism -- Northwest Pacific -- History; Outd; Over the past 150 years, people have flocked to the Pacific Northwest in increasing numbers, in part due to the region's beauty and one of its most exceptional features: volcanoes. This segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire has shaped not only the physical landscape of the region but also the psychological landscape, and with it the narratives we compose about ourselves. Exceptional Mountains is a cultural history of the Northwest volcanoes and the environmental impact of outdoor recreation in this region. It probes the relationship between these volcanoes and regional identity, particularly in the era of mass mountaineering and population growth in the Northwest. O. Alan Weltzien is a professor of English at the University of Montana-Western. He has published many books, including a memoir and two books of poetry, and is the editor of The Norman Maclean Reader . |