We took a beautiful bridge over the Columbia River and into Washington State, the evergreen state. Surrounded by rivers, lakes and streams made for beautiful scenery. Contrary to popular belief, the sun was shinning and the skies were blue! We stopped at the welcoming center and gathered information for our stay. Without hesitation, our first stop Mount St. Helen's National Park! Remembering the event in 1980, we both wanted to learn more about the volanic eruption. We secured a spot for the night in a nearby RV park that overlooked the Cascade Mountains and watched a beautiful sunset. With full hook-up, we were able to view the Olympics and watch Michael Phelps win his 21st medal! Traveling this way truly has its benefits! Morning arrived quickly and we were on our way to the park and visitor center to plan out our day.
There are 3 visitor centers along the hour long drive to the crater. We stopped at the first and watched a movie explaining the eruption that took place on May 18th 1980.
The 5.1 magnitue earthquake blew 60,000 feet of heated ash into the sky resulting in 1300 feet of the mountain's top to launch outward and crumble down the hillside. The valley below Mount St. Helens was instantly scoured by heat, wind, ash and rock, killing plants and animals and drowning out rivers and forests; winds reached over 300 miles per hour, the landslide reached speeds of 155 miles per hour and temperatures reached 660 degrees Fahrenheit. The landscape was so barren and completely gray with ash, that people visiting the area right after the eruption said they felt as if they were color-blind. Although plant and animal life have come back to the area, there is still a sense of barren landscape in the surrounding area.
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We hiked along some of the trails and although the event was 32 years ago, we got a true sense of the devastation. Steam continues to escape from the crater and ash scatters into the sky. The ash that fell is 200 feet deep and still very evident in the landscape.
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The trees that were snapped like twigs litter the landscape.
However, new life continues to emerge. Thouroughly enjoying our visit and on our return home, we passed a sign for helicopter tours. Feeling brave, or insane...not sure which, I jumped on board for a flight over the crater. Being 8,000 feet high in a helicopter certainly was not for the faint of heart! But, somehow I mustered the courage and was grateful for an inside view.
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Spirit Lake still littered with debris of fallen trees which is clearly seen in the north part of the lake. In the distance is Mount Ranier in all it's glory. Mount St. Helen's once stood as that.
Happy and thankful to be back on the gound!
Although the captain was well trained and the flight was fairly smooth, it was a bit un-nerving.
However, we had so much fun, we decided to hi-jack the helicopter and take the captain hostage! :)
Thank you Guy for this wonderful exhilerating experience. One, not to be forgotten. Still on a high...and a bit excited for having done this, I calmed myself down with a glass...or two....okay; three, of wine. We headed towards our next destination of Ranier National Park and found a RV park in the middle of nowhere. We woke to the sound of cows mooing at our window!
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