Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. Mt St. Helens, located approximately 50 miles northeast of Portland is most known for its eruption on May 18th, 1980. News of the blast, which occurred at approximately 8:32am PDT (11:32am to all the east coast folks), was fascinating to say the least to a 14 year old some 2,700 miles away. In a time when the internet did not exist and news was slower to be gathered and reported this became something the nation and world watched for days, even weeks.
As news of the eruption faded I didn't think much of it, let alone ever dream I would actually visit the mountain. One of the thrilling parts of my day when living in Vancouver, WA was the drive home from work. As I would turn off of I-205 on a clear day I had a view of both Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood. I was often told that the thrill of this view would diminish over time, it never did and still remains a prominent memory. During my time in the Pacific Northwest I visited the area several times and though I have not yet hiked the mountain it is definitely on the list.
Today, Mt. St. Helens remains an active volcano in the Cascade Range with eruptions as recent as 2008. My first trip in the winter of 1995 was educational. There are several viewing points along the way and what started as a cloudy morning turned into an awe inspiring day. The pictures that follow are some of my favorites, I hope you enjoy them.
circa 1995
Streams from the volcano feed into three different rivers around the mountain.
circa 1995
The skies cleared as we reached the main viewing point. According to the Park Ranger working this day the "cloud" above the mountain is actually steam escaping from inside the crater.
circa 1995
Following a 5.1 magnitude earthquake the volcano erupted. The blast was big enough it caused the mountain's elevation to decrease from 9,677 ft to 8,365 ft according to the USDA Forest Service.
circa 1995
Frozen Tundra.....
circa 1995
The blast is reported to have leveled everything in its path. Trees and wildlife alike. Awesome, yet mysteriously unnerving at the same time.
circa 1995
Trying to imagine the power from within...
Over the years I made a habit of grabbing my camera and just driving in whatever direction the sun was shining. The following pictures are from just such a day in the winter of 98/99.
circa 98
The elk and other wildlife return to the area.
circa 1998
Maggie at 6 months. A great friend who loved the snow.
circa 1998
Hey wait on me!
As Maggie was running towards me in this photo she suddenly disappeared. She had run directly over an air pocket covered in snow which collapsed under her weight. I remember running to grab her trailing leash and grabbing the end before it went into the abyss. I looked down to see Maggie hanging in mid air with a look of "what?" on her face. I pulled her to the top and off she went, oblivious of how close a call she had just encountered. She loved the snow.
circa 1998
Ever have that feeling you shouldn't be out here all alone....
I think Maggie was trying to tell me something.
circa 1998
Perhaps I should turn around and start heading back now......
circa 1998
Oops! Maybe just a little too late on that let's head back idea...
Much like boating on the coast of Georgia it is important to pay attention to the weather around you. As I mentioned earlier I usually started my trips by heading in whichever direction the sun was shining. Problem is that when you turn around you may not see the sun.
as always,
bkd
"Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere." Van Wilder
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