Gifts of Majesty

[Pilawt]

Just wanted to share some gifts my airplane gave me today. She took me to Mt. St. Helens, about 40 nm north of here, and allowed me to see what I never could have seen from any other vantage point.

On the left side of the photo below you can see the acres of fallen timber that have been floating on Spirit Lake ever since the eruption of May 18, 1980.

The mountain is rebuilding itself at an accelerated pace since a minor eruption, still continuing, began in October 2004. The dome inside the crater is rising as fast as six feet per day.

-- Pilawt

 

[gprellwitz]

Great pictures! My first thought was "there's something missing there!" Then you realize that nature's all about change. Awesome experience that I hope to have some day. Thanks!

 

[KennyFlys]

I was able to see the peak from the ground pre-eruption. It helped that I was stationed at Whidbey Island with an A-6 squadron during 1980. The base and every squadron had contingency plans out the wazoo.

The morning of the eruption, I was sleeping in. I was woke up by what sounded like a shotgun but quickly went back to sleep. It really didn't occur to me you're not likely to hear a shotgun on a Navy base!

A couple hours later at brunch, I heard others talking about the eruption. It was 150 miles away but the ash went around the world before it got to us. Yakima was trashed worse than all the snow storms in the previous hundred years combined. My roommate had my car down in Tacoma. It came back with a light film of ash. I should have saved some but never thought of it.

Given the damages and loss of life on that day, I'm glad it's back to being the beautiful sight it was prior to the eruption. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

As a side note, the person who finds a way to recover that timber, even in small sections, would have the material for some very pricey furniture. I rather wonder if the DOI would even allow its recovery.

 

[Richard]

Man, look at the size of that resurgent dome. I haven't seen it in a couple of years...it sure has grown. Great pictures! Must've been a great flying day too.


A little geologist humor for your perusal:

My, what big resurgent domes you have!

Is that a resurgent dome in your crater or are you happy to see me?

 

[NC Pilot]

Great photo's. I had the pleasure of seeing MSH last June on an East to West coast trip. Certainly is spectacular. Amazing country out there.