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Exceptional Mountains: A Cultural History of the Pacific Northwest Volcanoes
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 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 demonstrates how mountaineering is but one conspicuous example of the outdoor recreation industry’s unrestricted and problematic growth. He explores the implications of our assumptions that there are no limits to our outdoor recreation habits and that access to the highest mountains should include amenities for affluent consumers. Each chapter probes the mountain-based regional ethos and the concomitant sense of privilege and entitlement from different vantages to illuminate the consumerist mind-set as a reductive—and deeply problematic—version of experience and identity in and around some of the nation’s most striking mountains.
O. Alan Weltzien demonstrates how mountaineering is but one conspicuous example of the outdoor recreation industry’s unrestricted and problematic growth. He explores the implications of our assumptions that there are no limits to our outdoor recreation habits and that access to the highest mountains should include amenities for affluent consumers. Each chapter probes the mountain-based regional ethos and the concomitant sense of privilege and entitlement from different vantages to illuminate the consumerist mind-set as a reductive—and deeply problematic—version of experience and identity in and around some of the nation’s most striking mountains.
- GenresNatureHistoryNonfiction
264 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 2016
4 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
O. Alan Weltzien
13 books3 followersO. Alan Weltzien is an English professor at the University of Montana Western. He has had two Fulbright Fellowships (Poland, Bulgaria) and one University of Montana International Faculty Exchange Award (Australia).
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 25, 2017
Though written for an academically minded audience, the book eloquently describes the influence the Cascade Mountains have had on the development of the Pacific Northwest as well as the influence human culture has had on the accessibility and health of these wilderness areas.
Beginning with a historical history of the Pacific Northwest, followed by literary descriptions of the sublime and the transcendental experience associated with experiencing nature, Weltzien demonstrates the ownership and identity the Pacific Northwest ascribe to the NW volcanoes.
The transcendental experience of conquering the volcanoes become more and more accessible, through roadways, trains, the personal automobile, and commercialized by hotels and other roadside amenities.
Weitzen then analyzes the various land protections in place, through the park service and the forest service and identifies the intent behind them, use, recreation, resource management, and ecosystem preservation.
The book does an excellent job prompting the reader to think about their own usage of these areas, their contributions to the problem, as well as the solution. This is a great read to promote understanding of the current public lands debate and to encourage support to organizations like the Sierra Club.
Beginning with a historical history of the Pacific Northwest, followed by literary descriptions of the sublime and the transcendental experience associated with experiencing nature, Weltzien demonstrates the ownership and identity the Pacific Northwest ascribe to the NW volcanoes.
The transcendental experience of conquering the volcanoes become more and more accessible, through roadways, trains, the personal automobile, and commercialized by hotels and other roadside amenities.
Weitzen then analyzes the various land protections in place, through the park service and the forest service and identifies the intent behind them, use, recreation, resource management, and ecosystem preservation.
The book does an excellent job prompting the reader to think about their own usage of these areas, their contributions to the problem, as well as the solution. This is a great read to promote understanding of the current public lands debate and to encourage support to organizations like the Sierra Club.
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July 31, 2025Not super sure how to rate this. I was really interested in the subject matter and giving myself some more language around why I'm so pulled into the mountains in the PNW, however, the writing wasn't as engaging as I hoped. Still an informative read for outdoor enthusiasts who are willing to commit to the focus required for reading!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews