Renowned NW glacier melts after thousands of years

Exposing the Big Game's avatarThe Extinction Chronicles

Mount Rainier Nisqually Glacier
Hinman Glacier was once the largest between Mount Rainier, shown here, and Glacier Peak.National Park Service

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  • John Ryan, KUOW

The largest glacier between the high peaks of Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak has melted away after a long battle with global warming.

For thousands of years, the Hinman Glacier graced the crest of the Washington Cascades in what is now King County.

Fifty miles due east of downtown Seattle, Mount Hinman sits deep in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, midway between Snoqualmie Pass and Stevens Pass.

Nichols College glaciologist Mauri Pelto led a team to Mount Hinman in August 2022, as he has most summers since 1984. This time, they found its namesake glacier was no more.

In its place were just a few stranded patches of snow and ice.

“This is…

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