20 April 2018
It started out a sunny day and that gave us a lot of hope that we would have clear views of Mount Saint Helens. We headed out after breakfast and hit highway 7. , when we got to Morton, Washington, someone who will remain nameless but with the initials Tom Green suggested we turn west on highway 12. It was the wrong way. We figured it out after we got to the entrance to Mount Saint Helens visitor center and realized all the roads were closed into the park from that entrance.
Our intention was to take highway 12 to Interstate 5 south and enter the park through the south entrance. After our mistake, we got on 12 east and hit I-5 and made it to the visitor center. We balked at the $5 admission fee to tour the center and opted instead for the view of Mount Saint Helens from the visitor center.
However, by the time we arrived, it was overcast and we were afraid we would not be able to see the mountain. However, when we got to the visitor center, the volcano was framed perfectly along the side of the center.
We debated as to whether to drive the road to where the road closed and finally took the plunge. It was 39 miles to where the road was closed and we would have to turn around. I’m glad we did the drive. Every turn led to a more spectacular view of Mt. St. Helens.
I remember when it erupted in April of 1980. I used to teach students about the eruption and used it as an example of the power of volcanoes. However, I was not prepared for the sight of the missing part of the mountain.
I’ve seen all the National Geographic images, the videos, and even documentaries but nothing quite reveals the scale of the amount of the mountain that is missing until you see it close up.
Somewhere around 1300 feet of the mountain’s elevation disappeared and left a gaping hole in the side of the mountain.
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As interesting was the blast zone and the valley that was flooded with 150 feet deep of pyroclastic flow. The valley below the mount still looks very bare. All along the new road above the valley floor are markers telling you when the area was replanted in vegetation to replace that destroyed by the blast.
One marker, seemingly a little tongue in cheek said it was decided it was not a great idea to rebuild the road on the valley floor below. No kidding!
On the return trip, we ate at a restaurant that was once one of the only homes in the area to survive the blast. It’s sobering to realize 57 people perished in the eruption.
This is the last night at Mount Rainier and its been great. The room has been crowded with two people but Tom and I seem to work well around the small size of the room.
I head out tomorrow for Chelan, Washington which is the jumping off place for Lake Chelan and my ultimate destination of Stehekin, Washington at the end of Lake Chelan. I’ll spend one night at Chelan at a resort, take a boat to Stehekin and spend three nights in a cabin. Then I return to Stehekin and another night in Chelan before heading to Idaho.
I suspect my three nights in Stehekin will be without wifi or phone service so bear with me on the lateness of the blogs.
We are really enjoying your posts and photographs. I am so glad you got to see Mt St. Helens. When we were there (c. 1994) it was completely fogged in. The clouds parted for about 2 seconds allowing a brief glimpse, but no photographs. BTW, Kay Stauffer can see MSH from her home; her mailing address is Castle Rock, WA.
We are really enjoying your posts and photographs. I am so glad you got to see Mt St. Helens. When we were there (c. 1994) it was completely fogged in. The clouds parted for about 2 seconds allowing a brief glimpse, but no photographs. BTW, Kay Stauffer can see MSH from her home; her mailing address is Castle Rock, WA.
It was a stunner. I passed thru Castle Rock.