MT. Rainier, the towering God of Washington, gave me a lasting impression of power and beauty when at age thirteen I first saw it. ... THE MOUNTAIN. I had seen other mountains, but nothing like this, and the lush-green forest of Douglas-fir, Western Hemlock, and Western Red-cedar within Mt. Rainier National Park complimented the mountain's beauty. After meeting THE MOUNTAIN and the park, I decided I would major in forestry in college and someday return here to work. We all have similar stories about love of the mountains and first interest in forestry, but in my case my dream came true.