Rockfall

Day 357: During the merry month of May, Mount Wow decided it was time to shed part of its geologic skin, and cast several sizeable chunks of rock onto the hikers' parking area near Dry Creek (Westside Road, Mount Rainier National Park). No one was around to witness the event, but it was not without effect. A visitor's truck was parked in the line of fall, and was totalled when it was struck. The road was closed as soon as the rockfall was discovered, and a team of geologists was sent in to assess the potential for reoccurrence. It was determined that the rocks had been loosened by the natural cycle of freezing and thawing; in other words, Mount Wow was simply eroding as mountains are wont to do.

I hadn't had a chance to get up the Westside Road this year, and because I'm feeling a bit poorly, I didn't hike beyond Ground Zero. I just wanted to see the damage before the road crew makes little rocks out of big ones with some well-placed dynamite. The rock I'm leaning on was by no means the largest. Note that it has barely dented the road. The one on the righthand side of the photo left an impact crater more than three feet deep!