Washington
Washington’s tallest mountain is shrinking with age
In a discovery that has literally changed the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, Mount Rainier—Washington state’s towering icon—has been found to be shorter than previously known.
A local scientist and mountaineer has confirmed that the volcano’s famous summit point has shifted and shrunk, marking a significant change in the mountain’s geography.
The discovery was made following a recent expedition to the summit by Eric Gilbertson, a teaching professor in mechanical engineering at Seattle University.
“Mt Rainier is the tallest peak in Washington, the most topographically prominent peak in the contiguous US, and the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous US,” Gilbertson wrote in a blog post.
“The peak is very significant in Washington—it is easily visible from Seattle on a clear day, and its picture is even on the state license plate and the state quarter. Some people refer to it simply as ‘The Mountain.’”
Jennifer J Taylor/Getty
Using survey-grade GPS units borrowed from his university’s civil engineering department, Gilbertson found that the mountain’s official summit, known as Columbia Crest, is no longer the highest point on Mount Rainier.
On August 28, precise measurements revealed that Columbia Crest stands at 14,389.2 feet, while the southwest crater rim reaches 14,399.6 feet. This means Mount Rainier is approximately 10 feet shorter than its historically recorded height of 14,410 feet, which was first measured by triangulation in 1914 and officially established in 1956.
In total, the Columbia Crest has shrunk by 21.8 feet since 1998.
The reason for the shrinkage is relatively simple: ice is melting. “The summit area of Mt Rainier has a crater rim that melts out to rock every summer, but there has historically been a permanent dome of ice on the west edge of the rim,” Gilbertson said.
That ice dome is the Columbia Crest. Official measurements of a permanent ice cap such as this are usually made in late summer, when the ice cap is at its lowest point. Gilbertson added: “Measuring at this time of year ensures seasonal snow does not count towards the summit elevation.”
Gilbertson’s discovery came as part of his ongoing personal project to measure the exact heights of Cascade peaks, which he began in 2022. Reports from mountain guides who noticed that Columbia Crest, traditionally the summit where climbers pose for photos and plant their ice axes in triumph, no longer felt like the highest point sparked this particular expedition.
Despite their remarkable accuracy—the measurements have an error of just 0.1 feet—these new heights aren’t official just yet. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) still lists Mt Rainier as being 14,410 feet on its website.
Newsweek reached out to the USGS for comment via email outside of business hours.
Gilbertson didn’t point to a specific cause behind the shrinking, but climate change could play a key role. The mountain has undergone dramatic changes over the past century, with 42 percent of its glacier ice vanishing since 1896. At least one glacier has completely disappeared.
Based on his calculations, Gilbertson estimates that the southwest crater rim surpassed Columbia Crest as the highest point around 2014, a high-water mark in the mountain’s ongoing transformation.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about mountains? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Washington, D.C. (11/15/2025) – The Washington Spirit beat Portland Thorns FC 2-0 in the semifinal round of the 2025 NWSL Playoffs this afternoon in front of yet another sellout crowd of 19,365 at Audi Field. With the shutout win, Washington advances to its second consecutive NWSL Championship and fourth in club history.
The Spirit was on the front foot early, generating several quality chances and even finding the back of the net — only for the goal to be ruled offside. After a VAR review, the call was confirmed, keeping the match level.
In the 27th minute, the breakthrough finally came. Following a cleared Portland corner, the Spirit launched a clinical counterattack. Rosemonde Kouassi sprinted down the field, using her pace to drive into the box and squared a perfect ball to Gift Monday, who calmly slotted it home to make it 1-0 for the home side. Kouassi now has seven assists across all competitions this year, six of which have come on goals by Monday.
The Spirit didn’t let up, continuing to apply pressure and called Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold into a pair of strong saves as the first half progressed. Washington went into halftime leading 1-0 as it looked to advance in its sixth straight home playoff match.
Both teams traded opportunities to start the second half, with the Spirit firing on all cylinders, though the hosts’ shots on target went unanswered. The match shifted in the 83rd minute as Croix Bethune found herself charging up from midfield. With Portland’s goalkeeper out of position, Bethune made a move around her and converted on her own, extending the Spirit’s lead with precision and intensity. The match entered seven minutes of stoppage time, with Portland seeking a breakthrough. Met with the Spirit’s defensive momentum, the visitors were unable to create a clear chance.
As the final whistle blew, the Spirit clinched a 2-0 victory and a berth in its second consecutive NWSL Championship, the fourth in club history. The title match will take place at PayPal Park in San Jose, California on Saturday, November 22 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST and air on CBS.
-NWSL Match Report-
Match: Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns FC
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
Venue: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
Kickoff: 12 p.m. EST
Weather: Cloudy, high-50s
Scoring Summary:
| Goals | 1 | 2 | F |
| Washington | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Portland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
WAS – Gift Monday – 27′ (assisted by Rosemonde Kouassi)
WAS – Croix Bethune – 83’
Lineups:
WAS: 1 – Aubrey Kingsbury; 6 – Kate Wiesner; 9 – Tara McKeown; 4 – Rebeca Bernal; 24 – Esme Morgan; 19 – Rosemonde Kouassi (26 – Paige Metayer, 89’); 7 – Croix Bethune; 17 – Hal Hershfelt; 10 – Leicy Santos (20 – Deborah Abiodun, 72’); 27 – Sofia Cantore (2 – Trinity Rodman, 90’); 21 – Gift Monday
Unused Substitutes: 28 – Sandy MacIver; 5 – Narumi Miura; 13 – Brittany Ratcliffe; 16 – Courtney Brown; 22 – Heather Stainbrook; 25 – Kysha Sylla
POR: 18 – Mackenzie Arnold; 2 – Reyna Reyes; 5 – Isabella Obaze; 16 – Sam Hiatt (24 – Jayden Perry, 86’); 20 – Kaitlyn Torpey (29 – Mallie McKenzie, 63’); 21 – Jessie Fleming; 13 – Olivia Moultrie; 17 – Sam Coffey; 10 – Deyna Castellanos (4 – Laila Harbert 82’); 66 – Reilyn Turner (34 – Daiane, 82’); 77 – Alexa Spaanstra (19 – Pietra Tordin, 63’)
Unused Substitutes: 1 – Bella Bixby; 25 – M.A. Vignola; 33 – Naomi Powell; 88 – Valerin Loboa
Stats Summary: WAS / POR
Shots: 16 / 10
Shots On Goal: 8 / 3
Saves: 3 / 6
Fouls: 11 / 7
Offsides: 2 / 0
Misconduct Summary:
WAS – Rosemonde Kouassi – 44’ – Yellow Card
POR – Jessie Fleming – 67’ – Yellow Card
Washington
‘These guys paved the way’: Old Bridge football season ends with return to sectional final
NJ football: Big Central Conference Media Day 2025 video
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NOTE: This article will be updated with more information and quotes. Please check back later.
WASHINGTON TWP. – As the Washington Township football players celebrated following their 38-7 win in the NJSIAA Central Group 5 final, the Old Bridge side met in an unhappy huddle in the far end zone on Friday, Nov. 14.
Knights head coach Matt Donaghue beckoned the 20 or so seniors to stand up at the front of the semicircle.
“You know what these guys did for the program,” he said, scanning the whole team and coaches. “These guys paved the way.”
He had everyone give a round of applause.
It was a fitting salute as the Knights reached a football sectional final for just the third time in program history to go along with their 2001 and 2015 appearances.
As the big underdogs against a juggernaut, Old Bridge likely needed some breaks, fortunate bounces and some intangible karma to go its way.
The third-seeded Knights (10-2) showed life at times – and made it interesting – but Washington Township (12-0) proved too much to repeat as sectional champions.
Top-seeded Washington Township (12-0) will play in next week’s Group 5 semifinals against Kingsway, which beat Atlantic City 38-21 in the South Group final.
Old Bridge trailed 17-7 with under two minutes left in the third quarter and seemed to have some momentum but a Washington Township blitz broke it open. The Minutemen scored three touchdowns in the final 1:49 of the third to open a 38-7 advantage.
It went: Andrew Osbron 5-yard touchdown run. Isaac Parra 40-yard interception return for a score. A Parker Reese interception off a tip from his own teammate followed by Colin Beeler spurting up the middle for a 42-yard run into the end zone on the final play of the quarter.
Just like that, any rally dreams died for the Old Bridge fans.
Osborn added touchdown runs of 5 and 29 yards for the powerhouse Gloucester County school. Washington Township has a program record of 469 points this season and won every game by double digits save for a 39-36 win over Kingsway.
Old Bridge, too, had a memorial campaign. The Knights advanced with two thrillers, a 38-31 win over sixth-seeded Freehold Township in the quarterfinals and a 28-27 semifinal win over second-seeded Sayreville.
Down 17-0 at halftime, Old Bridge scored on a 23-yard pass from Brody Nugent to Michael Chiarella, who made a nice catch in the end zone. Michael Firetto’s extra point cut it to 17-7 with 4:10 left in the third quarter
The Knights just couldn’t break through despite quality play. Old Bridge got two turnovers, Zach Florio came up with a sack to force a Kingsway punt and the offense twice drove to Washington’s 12-yard line but was stopped on downs.
In the end, it was Washington Township that celebrated with a trophy presentation with its fans.
As Donaghue ended his brief post-game remarks, he proclaimed, “Hold your heads up. Family.”
Postgame Thoughts: LSU 23, Arkansas 22
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