B is for Mt. Baker...the view from Pismawallops Island

Well, Mount Baker might be the view from Pismawallops on a clear day, if Pismawallops existed outside of my imagination and my books (see Death By Ice Cream). Of course, it being Puget Sound, there aren't so many clear days.

Mount Baker...second largest volcano in Washington State. "The Mountain" for residents of the Bellingham area, the way Mt. Rainier is "The Mountain" for the Seattle area.

Baker is 10,781' tall. Like Rainier, it rises almost from sea level, so it looks more impressive than some much higher peaks. And it is covered with snow and glaciers year around (so far), making it one of the classic peaks of the Cascades.

Last erupting about 6700 years ago, Baker is a stratovolcano, made up from many flows of mostly rather gummy lava, over many thousands of years (tens to hundreds of thousands). The USGS (US Geological Survey) considers its risk level to be high, as the volcano is scarcely even dormant (though no lava has escaped in 6700 years, it's hot in there, and fresh magma intruded into the volcano as recently as 1975), and the region in the danger zone fairly well populated.

If the mountain erupted, Pismawallops Island would be a better place to be than the mainland, but might still not be far enough away to be safe!

For a special treat, today we have some photos from visiting travel photographer Tom Dempsey. Note: the photos are copyrighted, and Tom is a professional photographer. If you wish to share or use these pictures, please contact him for appropriate permission.

All photos © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com

First, the view from the Island, or nearby:

Washington State Ferry near Bellingham (and thus near Pismawallops) with Mt. Baker in the distance.

Rotting tug and Mt. Baker

North Cascades seen from the Sound. Mt. Baker obscured by clouds.

 Now, some gorgeous views from closer to the mountain! Thanks again to Tom Dempsey for sharing his work.

Iceberg Lake

Fall colors (mountain huckleberry).

Lenticular cloud on Baker.

If you like these photos, please visit photoseek.com! And if you are interested in travel photography,

consider buying the book "Light Travel: Photography on the Go"  by Tom Dempsey to learn more about the magic of portable digital cameras and techniques for photographing the world.