Mount St. Helens - 29 Years Later

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Mount Saint Helens

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Mount St. Helens - 29 Years Later

Mt. St. Helens Area

Mount Saint Helens, Monitor Ridge, September 2008

Mount St. Helens - 29 Years Later

Page Type: Album

Image Type(s): Informational, Scenery

Page By: silversummit

Created/Edited: Sep 13, 2009 / Sep 13, 2009

Object ID: 553048

Hits: 1233

Page Score: 88.41% - 17 Votes

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Background

The May 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens was definitely a major event in the lives of many Americans as well as scientists etc. For those of us old enough at the time to recognize its importance we may even remember what we were doing at that time.

I was teaching middle school preparing to go to Outward Bound in North Carolina and didn't really think much about the events in Washington state that spring but one of my two OB crew instructors that June was from Seattle and she spoke about having problems calling home on her breaks. She also told us about her family worrying about further eruptions. Later as Mount Saint Helens continued to evolve vulcanically I read more and followed it in the news and magazines.

So when I had the chance to visit the area a few weeks ago my husband and I drove up to Johnston Ridge Observatory making stops along the way to view the various stages of renewal and regrowth. This is still a powerful place to see!

Images

Regrowth on protected hillside

Patches of ice even in August

Paintbrush up close

Dramatic hillside drop

Evidence of blast so long ago

roadside recovery scene

Contrast between the crater and regrowth in the Plain below

Mount Saint Helens from behind

More blowdown remnants

Fenceline Flowers

Close-up crater view

Mount Saint Helens and Pumice Plain

Regrowth is slow

Steep hillside and Pumice Plain

A view of the Pumice Plain

[ View Gallery - 17 More Images ]

Comments

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Deltaoperator17

I was There

Voted 10/10

I was working with Weyerhauser on loan for SAR.

Posted Sep 14, 2009 1:02 am


	silversummit	Re: I was There
	Hasn't voted	What was it like? Have you been back there since then?
		Posted Sep 14, 2009 7:39 am

oldandslow

Difficult subject

Hasn't voted

You have put together a nice album centered on an ugly mountain. I started backpacking in 1945 at YMCA camp at Spirit Lake. I hiked and camped in the area with my family and friends many times up until the big eruption. It was a beautiful mountain and Spirit Lake was a truly special place. We cried the morning of the eruption.
The next time you come to the northwest, try central Oregon where they have not had eruptions for 1300 years.

Posted Sep 17, 2009 10:23 pm


	silversummit	Re: Difficult subject
	Hasn't voted	Thank you! I still see beauty in the current Mt. St. Helens but I understand how someone who grew up knowing the mountain as it was could miss its beauty and grandeur. I definitely want to visit Oregon next time I get to the left coast; it's one of the 4 states I've yet to see!
		Posted Sep 17, 2009 11:07 pm

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