The Cascade Volcanoes were the primary motivation for my first visits to the Pacific Northwest in the mid-2000s, climbing Hood and a few others in 2006-2008. This chain of volcanoes runs from Northern California through Oregon, Washington, and into Canada, making up part of the ring of fire. I’ve been back several times since then, visiting the coast, friends in Grant’s Pass and Portland, doing some rafting, bikepacking, and more summit climbs. I completed the lower 48 “ultras” on Mt. Jefferson in 2022, among the toughest of the Cascade Volcanos.