On our way south to camp at Chehalis, Wayne and I flew along the west side of the Puget Sound to stay out of Seattle's busy airspace. Following our flight path to the east were the mighty peaks of the Cascade Range. Of course, Mt. Baker is in our own Bellingham back yard came first.
Other lofty peaks include Mt. Rainer and Hood, but the most distinctive is Mount St. Helens. At 8:32 Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. The massive explosion and an earthquake of 5.1 caused the north face to collapse. Mud from flash melted snow and ash caused devastation near and far. The ash cloud was propelled 15 miles in the air and around the world.
Today you can still see the results of the cataclysmic event. The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Park website provides lots of information about the volcano and the surrounding forest recreation areas. If you are in the area, fly or drive by. -- Margy
It is a stunning vista from the plane. The eruption of Mt St Helens was definitely cataclysmic.
ReplyDeleteNot long after the original eruption we flew past on a vacation trip to Canada. After landing in Port Angeles we could see back toward Mount St. Helens and a new ash cloud forming. That was really lucky timing. - Margy
DeleteI remember how terrible it was when it happened. We watched it on TV for a long time.
ReplyDeleteThe ash was everywhere. Industrious entrepreneurs gathers some up and made it into souvenirs to sell to tourists. - Margy
DeleteBeautiful shots! I remember when it happened... quite shocking!
ReplyDeleteWe don't think about dormant volcanoes erupting, but it could happen to others in the Cascade chain. We have a part time home near Mt. Baker in Washington and think about it and associated earthquakes. - Margy
DeleteSo beautiful from the air ... Thanks for sharing the Birdseye view!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. We don't get up often enough these days. - Margy
Deletestill a beautiful place :)
ReplyDeleteI remember watching it on the news, such devastation. And the video from the person running away, so sad. I'm amazed that they showed that on TV. It was way before social media. - Margy
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