- At its most fundamental level, “Alien” is a movie about things that can jump out of the dark and kill you. It shares a kinship with the shark in “Jaws,” Michael Myers in “Halloween,” and assorted spiders, snakes, tarantulas and stalkers. Its most obvious influence is Howard Hawks’ “The Thing” (1951), which was also about a team in an isolated outpost who discover a long-dormant alien, bring it inside, and are picked off one by one as it haunts the corridors. Look at that movie, and you see “Alien” in embryo.
- Mount Pilchuck (summitpost.org)
There are many factors which make Mount Pilchuck one of Washington’s favorite and most sought after hiking peaks. Second only to Mount Si, it’s estimated that Pilchuck sees 28,000 visitors each year. The number one draw for the mountain is the old fire lookout on the summit, which was constructed in 1918 by the US Forest Service. It was renovated by the Everett Mountaineers in 1977. At the peak use of fire lookouts, there were nearly 700 Washington State, but now there are only a handful remaining. Most were burned by lightning strikes.