Geo 1095: March 31, Day 820: Three Fingered Jack

I'm not sure what the other large peak in front of and to the left of Three Fingered Jack is (Followup, 4/3: see comment from Ron Schott for its identity and a trail map.), but the latter is the ragged and heavily eroded peak on the horizon. In the context of the Cascade Range, that erosion tells you that TFJ hasn't been active since the ice ages. On the other hand, the closer unnamed peak, with its symmetrical cone, almost certainly attained its current form in the last 10-12 thousand years. I've posted a similar, portrait-framed shot from very close to this same spot, about two years ago, but this one does a better job of showing where the nice, wide pullout is in relation to this junction. This is not by any means a "must-see" stop, but it's pretty, with a safe place to park, and good wide berms make it a sensible place to look around without getting radiator-grilled. In particular (though I'm not sure to what degree I understood this at the time), this is an excellent stop to establish context for the sudden appearance of the McKenzie River at Clear Lake, a few miles south.

Photos unmodified. October 9, 2012. FlashEarth Location.