"We thought it would be a neat way to go the top, do a memorial of some sort, and have John always looking down on our department and on our city."

Just a few hours' drive from Vancouver, you can find four of the volcanoes deemed by the USGS to be among the riskiest in the United States.

Mount Baker is the latest victim of this winter’s milder than normal temperatures. As of Sunday, the operations on the mountain have been temporarily suspended pending more snow. In a video update posted on the mountain’s website, general manager Duncan Howat said they would need additional six to twelve inches of snow to be back in operation. Howat...