Who:
Scott Otterson
Cascade Chapter Political Committee Co-Chair, ExComm
Where:
Seattle, WA
Here I am, on my way to Glacier Peak, one of Washington State's tallest and most beautiful mountains. We're a couple days into the wilderness but even here, we see the effects of our civilization. Climbers we met on the trail told us that that this year, historic mountaineering routes disappeared, made impassable by rapid glacial retreat. And we can see it for ourselves; miles from the peak, it's obvious where the glacier used to be: a brown rock rim around the white ice, not yet filled in by green meadow and dark forest. I guess this wouldn't be such a big deal if climate change was slow enough that animals and plants could move or adapt -- and if millions of people didn't depend upon glaciers and mountain snowpack for summer water. Unless we get serious about global warming, we will lose more than my favorite climbing spots.
