Hiking Mt. St. Helens again.

Went on another hike today. This time on the north side of the mountain. I was going to hike Goat Mountain but the Forest Service had the road closed for some reason. Plan B short hike up Independence Pass Trail and on towards Boundary Trail.
Overlooking Spirit Lake and the mountain. The debris you see on the western edge of the lake are trees blown down by the eruption in May 1980.

Just a small sample of the eruption devastation, trees were either uprooted entirley or sheared off at the stump. The scene is similar for hundreds of square miles in the direction of the blast.

Looking north from Independence Pass to Mt. Rainier.

Super photos ! Really beautiful there, and it's something to still see the evidence of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I guess it really hasn't been that long when you stop and think about it. Thanks !

koimaster wrote:

Nice photos Mark. Do you remember when that happened? Fairchild AFB was nothing but a grey dust bowl. Just goes to show you how puny we really are compared to a pissed off mother nature.

Yes, I remember the day. It was early on a Sunday morning and me and some friends drove up to the ridge overlooking the Columbia River in Rainier-saw a huge, mushroom shaped ash cloud. Later, on the news, we saw Eastern Washington blacked out at noon. We got some ash-but most went northeast.