Category: Continents

A Geological History of the Rocky Mountains

It seems that no matter what part of the Rocky Mountains you are traveling through, you will be overcome with an incredible and unassailable sense of history. Indeed one feels overwhelmed with ghost-like recollections of the prospectors and trappers that settled this wild country, or the explorers and warriors that came before them to unlock …

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Popocatépetl – Central Mexico’s Smoking Mountain

About two hours outside of Mexico City, in the state of Puebla, towers Popocatépetl, the second-highest peak in Mexico at an elevation of 17,880 feet (5,450 m). Popocatépetl, a volcano locally known as “el Popo,” spends part of the year with a snow-covered peak. With more than 25 million people living within a 62-mile (100 …

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Tickling the Mexican Sky on Top of La Malinche

While all mountains have an interesting story to tell, rooted in geological drama and local legend, La Malinche, with her rippling contours, spins a more intriguing yarn than most. Soaring above the border between Puebla and Tlaxcala states in Mexico with a prominence of 6,300 feet (1,920 m), La Malinche’s peak reaches into the sky …

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Walking Mount Tabor, Oregon’s Cinder Cone in the City

What to do when you’re in one of the best states for exploring mountains, new at climbing, and tethered to the city of Portland during your summer vacation? Walk Portland, Oregon’s dormant volcano, Mount Tabor! This is exactly what I did this summer. One sunny day in August, my daughter, brother-in-law, niece, and I took …

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Douglas Mountain: A Short Maine Hike to Revisit Again and Again

It is sometimes the lower, quieter mountains that can offer the deepest insights into the world. Douglas Mountain, located in Sebago, Maine, is one of those mountains. Referred to by some as Douglas Hill, it offers the natural beauty that sets the state apart, while also having trails that are short enough to do in …

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Cadillac Mountain

Jutting up from the Northern Atlantic seaboard, where the land breaks off into islands that stretch east to greet each day, is Cadillac Mountain. The largest of the 20 peaks on Mount Desert Island, Cadillac Mountain’s summit tops out at 1,530 feet (466 m) in elevation. After Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Cadillac’s summit …

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Cerro de Punta and the Endangered Tree Ferns

Peeking out over the Cordillera Central range of Puerto Rico is Cerro de Punta. Cerro de Punta, endearingly referred to by locals as Puntitas, is located in the middle of the island territory, straddling Ponce and Jayuya. Rising to an altitude of 4,398 feet (1,388 m), it is the tallest mountain on the Isla del …

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Steep ≠ High Elevation in the Uwharrie Mountains

When one thinks of North Carolina and the mountains, one’s mind is usually drawn to the western part of the state, with the soaring peaks of Grandfather Mountain, Chimney Rock, or Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the East. But 500 million years ago, another range of mountains formed along the coast, what is now …

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Pico de Orizaba, a.k.a. Citlaltépetl: The Heights of Sorrow and Joy

At the top of the list of the world’s most prominent dormant volcanoes, after Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro is Mexico’s Pico de Orizaba, known by its Nahuatl name as Citlaltépetl, meaning “Mountain of the Star.” With a prominence of 16,148 feet (4,922 m) and an elevation estimated at 18,491 feet (5,636 m), Pico de Orizaba is the …

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Mount Katahdin: The High Point of Vacationland

Every summer, hordes of people flock to Maine. So many people come, in fact, that the Pine Tree State has another eponym: Vacationland. The state has many mountains to enjoy, including the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, which also happens to be the highest point in the state. Mount Katahdin, located within Baxter State …

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