Massive Landslide Hits Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

The Great Gorge of Ruth Glacier, Denali National Park, Alaska

OTR may be out of the traces these days, but that doesn't mean he can ignore the magnificent resources of our national parks that he defended officially for almost 35 years. Last month one of the largest landslides ever recorded in North America roared down five miles of the Johns Hopkins Glacier in Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. A flight up one of the world's deepest glacier valleys - deeper than the Grand Canyon - on the face of Mount McKinley left him breathless. It is the scale of Alaska that matters. The story of the slide is here. And here is a flyover taken a few weeks after the event.

It is one thing to see this in remote Alaska. It is another entirely to contemplate events on this scale in the more populous states. The state of Washington and the cities of greater Seattle come to mind immediately. Officials there have already prepared as best as possible for warning citizens about landslides, lahars, and pyroclastic flows from Mount Rainier. Some Seattle suburbs are only minutes from these dangers. Though probabilities may be low, it's always good practice to keep in mind that we should never underestimate Mother Nature. She can be a cruel mother.

Hat tip to National Parks Traveler for the video.