Volcano fans erupt on social media after Sacramento man claims Mt. Shasta is 'most iconic'

Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight
Updated ·2 min read

Move over, Hatfields and McCoys. There’s a new mountain war trending on social media.

At stake are the subjective reputations of Mt. Shasta, Mt. St. Helens and other volcanic peaks dotting the United States and beyond.

A meteorologist with ABC News Channel 10 in Sacramento, Rob Carlmark, (@rcarlmark) opened the trending can of worms on Feb. 27 by posting on X (formerly Twitter) an aerial photo of Mt. Shasta with the not-so-innocuous message: “California has the most iconic mountain in the lower 48. Meet Mt Shasta. 14k of pure glory.”

Washingtonians erupted with protests and posted their own photos of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, while Oregonians extolled the beauty of Mt. Hood.

Snow-capped Mt. Shasta, what some X users claim is California's most "iconic" volcano, towers over the landscape in far Northern California.
Snow-capped Mt. Shasta, what some X users claim is California's most "iconic" volcano, towers over the landscape in far Northern California.

“Nothing against Shasta, it's a fine peak, but from someone who has spent nearly their entire life around mountains, I would never call Shasta ‘the most iconic.’ For volcanoes, I would rank Rainier higher” and “maybe St. Helens,” posted writer David Ek, a Seattle native now living in Virginia, according to a website linked to his X bio.

Other objectors weren’t so diplomatic.

“Looks like a little b____ to me,” posted @MtStHelensWA, who regularly participated in the now month-long debate.

“St. Helen doesn’t even have a peak. Couldn’t handle the pressure,” countered @tedpeck51312, a reference to the volcano’s 1980 eruption.

Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know.

Coloradans, Wyomingites, more Californians and other mountain-loving folk sought to defend their volcanic state’s honor by posting photos and comments about Lassen, Grand Teton, Yosemite and other peaks.

Fans of Japan’s Mt. Fuji, Iceland’s Sundhnúkagígar and other international sites chimed in with their peak perspectives.

Carlmark’s original post had more than 19.3 million views, 4.3 thousand likes and 984 shares.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Mountain wars trend after Sacramento man's Mount Shasta post