Stopped at the Fifes Peak viewpoint for a few minutes to see the long extinct volcano ridge
Fifes Peaks shrouded by the the treeline around the viewpoint
Closeup of the center peaks
Jagged jagged volcanic rock peak
This marker chronicles the geological history of the nearby Fifes Peaks.
Reads: "Fifes Peaks volcano is composed of andesite lava flows, volcanic ash and breccia, which is composed of rock fragments. The peaks are remnants of a large low profile caldera that exploded 25 million years ago.
The base of the spire marks the margin of the filled caldera.
Fifes Peaks was a part of a north-south volcanic chain extending through Washington and Oregon into Northern California. This chain was called the Cascade Arc."
The second section notes how the volcanic activity impacted the local area.
Continues: "Fossilized wood, resulting from the replacement of wood by silica, can be found at the base of some flows or within the interbeds. Silicified nuts and fish are also associated with these interbeds."
Another look of the spires just east of the taller peaks
Kind of a wonder the wind, rain, and snow have not eroded these down further over the last several million years
This marker speaks of the Peak's namesake.
Reads: "Fife's Peaks are named for Thomas X. Fife. The Fife brothers Tom, Joseph, Robert, and their father John, emigrants from Fifeshire Scotland, are credited with finding the first quarts gold mind during 1888. The mine is in the Gold Hill area near Chinook Pass.
Tom Fife would trek to his mine following 'X' blazes on trees (there were no roads) and remain in the hills until December each year, when supplies ran out and hunger got the best of him.
Tom homesteaded at Goose Prairie in the Bumping Lake area. Camp Fife, the Boy Scout Camp at Goose Prairie, is named for Tom Fife. Tom willed the land to the Boy Scouts. Never married, Tom was known for his kindness to and love of children"
The second section describes Fife's (attempted) military service.
Continues: When World War I arrived, Tom made an earnest effort to enlist. Being age 65, he was deied. According to Jack Nelson, caretaker of Bumping Dam, when Tom acquired a khaki coat and trousers his joy was boundless for he felt that he was wearing a US soldier's uniform."
Like everywhere else we stopped on this drive, there were a plethora of different trees scattered about
Closeup of a Engelmann Spruce Tree we found at the waypoint. I've always enjoyed how they smell, particularly after a rain or snow fall
Alicia likes the smell, too
