Mt. St. Helens

One of the things I really wanted to do this year was go to Mt. St. Helens. So we did an overnight trip there and it was incredible. We went to the northwest side of the mountain the first day. that was the side that blew. We saw the southeast side the second day. That side had mud slides from the melted snow rushing down from the top. And, you could see lava formations from an eruption 1900 years ago!

Our first glimpse of the mountain from the State Park wetlands. The kids did a Jr. Ranger program here and we saw exhibits and a movie.

Hiking through the wetlands.

Getting closer to the mountain.

You can see the lava dome in the middle of the crater. Mt. St. Helens has erupted several times since 1980, but none were as big and catastrophic as the May 18, 1980 eruption.

This is on Johnston Ridge, which is 5 miles away from the peak. The volunteer radio operator stationed here lost his life in the blast. 57 people died, but they rescued 170, and others had been evacuated. So, for as much as they couldn’t predict what was going to happen and how big it was, it wasn’t as much loss of life as it could have been.

You see downed trees everywhere. They were blown over in the blast. Closer in, they were washed away when the avalanche of mud and water and pyroclastic flow swept through.

On this side of the ridge, you see the stumps where the trees snapped off.

One of the new lakes (Coldwater) that was created in the aftermath.

The dads and big kids getting ready to hike Ape Cave—a lava tube created 1900 years ago and 2 1/2 hour hike. According to them, it was amazing! But a strenuous hike.

The littler kids and moms picked above ground less strenuous hiking. They are standing in front of a lava tunnel with a collapsed ceiling.

We saw tree molds. The trees were standing, and the molten lava flowed around them and the trees burned to charcoal and then in the 1900 years, disintegrated. You have these molds left. Very cool.

There was one short lava tube you could go through, but we had to wait for the flashlights when the big guys got back. Nonetheless, we checked out the hole.

Charlie decided it was too dark and he wasn’t going down.

At the other end of the tube.

All of a sudden, the sun came out and it warmed up! This is the other side of the mountain. You can see the V shape where mud slides happened. The devastation was much less over here.

Here is what the mud slide left in one area.