Mount St. Helen's

During my recent trip to Portland, I visited Mount St. Helen's, stopping at several observation areas. I'm glad I wasn't there on May 18, 1980 when all "heck" broke lose.

An earthquake early that morning started a chain reaction that included a huge mudflow and a lateral blast to the north and northeast.



The above picture was taken from the Johnston Ridge Visitor Center. The center was named for geologist Dave Johnston, a dedicated U.S. Geological Survey employee who by chance was on duty nearby on May 18. Since the volcano was 5 miles away, across a deep valley, his observation post was thought to be safe ... almost every recorded volcanic eruption had gone straight up.

The wisps arising from the mountain are not signs of volcanic activity; they are clouds of ash kicked up by a light wind.

Mount St. Helen's had been a beautiful, symmterical 9,677 ft. high; after it's eruption it was 8,364 ft. high.


The above photo show's Mount St. Helen's in the distance and evidence of the mudflow, which overwhelmed the Toutle River. The picture below shows a fork of the small river tracing its way through the mudflow.

The devastation from the initial blast uprooted, burned or scorched trees beyond recovery as far as 15.5 miles away.

Nature, and the help of foresters who planted 18.5 million trees on private lands outside the national monument boundaries, mostly fast growing Douglas firs, in the 7 years following the eruption have helped return life to the Mount St. Helen's area.

A herd of elk was present the day I visited. The picture below shows a statute erected in tribute to the tree planters who carefully planted each tree by hand, digging through the ashen landscape.