Paragraph 1 On a clear day, this mountain towers over the landscape. It rises up out of the foothills to a height of 14,410 feet. The mountain has 26 named glaciers and countless smaller ones on its face, more than any other mountain in the lower 48 states. If you drive along Interstate 5 from Seattle, Washington, toward Portland, Oregon, you are sure to see Mount Rainier. The local Native American tribes called the mountain "Tahoma." In 1792, however, British explorer Captain George Vancouver named it Mount Rainier. He named it for his friend Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. Glaciers on the mountain form the beginnings of six major rivers in the area. Paragraph 2 Mount Rainier is an active volcano, like its neighbor to the south, Mount St. Helens. In fact, Mount Rainier is overdue to explode. Steam explosions have occurred on the mountain throughout the years, and scientists expect Mount Rainier to fully erupt sometime in the next few hundred years. If Mount Rainier does erupt unexpectedly, it will cause major destruction. The most damage would come from lahars, which are volcanic mudslides. These lahars will quickly melt the snow and ice that are layered upon the mountain. They also have the potential to destroy communities near the mountain. Even though scientists do not think that the mountain will erupt anytime soon, communities around the mountain are still preparing for the worst. Paragraph 3 Researchers have found debris that suggest stone tools were made and sharpened at those sites. Mount Rainier has also proven to be a rich area for archeologists to study the native cultures. At least five Native American tribes once lived in the area around the mountain. These tribes were the Nisqually, Puyallup, Muckleshoot, Yakama, and Taidnapam. From the debris that has been unearthed on the mountain, scientists now know that the tribes visited the mountain in the summer and fall to hunt animals. Native Americans came to gather berries and other plants. 79 archaeological sites have been found so far on