Yeah, that's why I spent a month breathing smoke last year. Poor forest management.

The Native Americans have a fascinating legend regarding Mount Si origins. It fits your first impression of the landmass:

Mount Si figures prominently in a Prometheus story from the Snoqualmie tribe. According to the story it is the dead body of Snoqualm, the moon. Snoqualm had ordered that a rope of cedar bark be stretched between the earth and the sky. But Fox and Blue Jay went up the rope and stole the sun from Snoqualm. Snoqualm chased them down the cedar rope, but it broke and he fell to his death. Fox then let the sun free in the sky and gave fire to the people. A face like Snoqualm's is visible on the rocks near the summit.[8]

I was standing out there last summer. Amazing how powerful nature is and how resilient life is at the same time.

That is amazing. I also know that I spent half of a short summer indoors due to wild fire smoke. And firefighters lives were endangered due to a lack of forest management.

Part of it for me is his characters actually get beat up in movies.

I think those Apaches are just as beautiful as the mountain. And I love Mt Rainer.

feathered friends: down parka (~$725)- This parka you linked has 13.3 oz of 900 fill power down. You will overheat in anything but the most extreme environments.

This is keeping me out of the Enchantments.