Today is the 31st anniversary of the Mt. St. Helens eruption.I was living in Bremerton when it happened.We did'nt get any of the ash but eastern Washington was hit pretty hard.I saw one of the rivers the mud came down,lots of damage along it. 57 people were killed.If anyone has any pictures,post them if you can.
Mt. St. Helens
- Thread starter mudcat100
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I've been to the top of MSH twice now, once on purpose, once by accident.
When we came down on our first attempt (unsuccessful), they had just put up the big "No Trespassing" signs that said being in the area was a Class 3 misdemeanor. We were successful on the second attempt. My old roommate has a 8mm video of an airplane flying around the dome a couple thousand feet below us while we were on the summit, essentially a knife edge ridge, on the SW side of the top of the mountain.
Our second ascent was actually an attempt to get to the dome inside the mountain. However, in our attempt to get around an extremely large melted glacier valley, we ended up on the top again and didn't make the dome.
On our second attempt on the dome, we went in at night with camouflaged body and pack covers and slept part of the night in the rain under a downed tree. We got about 10 miles in before were forced to turn back due to lack of water. We had to carry all our water in at that time due to Legionaire's Disease known to be in the water then.
Fun times.
When we came down on our first attempt (unsuccessful), they had just put up the big "No Trespassing" signs that said being in the area was a Class 3 misdemeanor. We were successful on the second attempt. My old roommate has a 8mm video of an airplane flying around the dome a couple thousand feet below us while we were on the summit, essentially a knife edge ridge, on the SW side of the top of the mountain.
Our second ascent was actually an attempt to get to the dome inside the mountain. However, in our attempt to get around an extremely large melted glacier valley, we ended up on the top again and didn't make the dome.
On our second attempt on the dome, we went in at night with camouflaged body and pack covers and slept part of the night in the rain under a downed tree. We got about 10 miles in before were forced to turn back due to lack of water. We had to carry all our water in at that time due to Legionaire's Disease known to be in the water then.
Fun times.
CarlP2
Member
And then I was born the next day.
bobcat
US Veteran
I was attending college in Bozeman, MT., and we had so much particulant in the air that they cancelled class and advised us to stay indoors. So of course we did what any good college student would do, ran to the grocery store before they closed to stock up on beer, then had an "Ash Bash" playing Jimmy Buffett's Volcano over and over. It's a wonder I made it out alive, but it was fun.
I was in Spokane at the time, driving to work, when the black cloud appeared. It turned COMPLETELY dark at that point, which would have been late afternoon. It "snowed" about 1/2" of ash everywhere. The city told us to use a garden hose to wash everything off, which caused the storm sewers to clog. They then told us to us an "odd-even" approach to hosing our driveways. The ash looked a lot like, well, ash dust from your fireplace.
RobertJ.
Member
I was 20, living on a farm with some friends at the time, in a place called "Sam's Valley", just north of Medford, Or. We didn't have TV, and didn't find out about it until the next day. We got no ash at all.
I'm actually driving up there tomorrow to do some hiking and take photos. It's about a three hour drive from my house to Johnston Ridge, which is the closest observatory, and the best place to begin a hike.
I'm actually driving up there tomorrow to do some hiking and take photos. It's about a three hour drive from my house to Johnston Ridge, which is the closest observatory, and the best place to begin a hike.
Lee in Quartzsite
Member
If you would like to keep an eye on Mount St. Helens you should go here:
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCams - Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCams - Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
I was on Charge of Quarters (CQ) Duty at my unit in Panama when the news about the volcanic eruption of Mt St Helens came across the Armed Forces Radio Network. All they said was that the mountain had had a major volcanic eruption, and I heard little new about it for several days.
My family lived in Oregon (and still does) within viewable range of Mt St Helens. We had camped up that mountain several times when I was growing up, and my folks might occasionally still do so back then. I was worried that they may have been affected by it.
I tried for three days to get a phone call in to my folks, but the phone lines were "clogged", which only added to my concern. On the fourth day I finally got through to them and they were fine. They had been camping when it erupted, but they were on Mt Hood at the time and didn't even learn about the Mt St Helens eruption until the day after it happened.
My Dad was in the Oregon Army National Guard at that time. His unit was activated to provide assistance. He has some stories about the ash being difficult to deal with, making it hard to breath, engine air filters clogging, etc…
My Grand Parents in Portland did, on a subsequent eruption, get a little ash on their property. Grandma collected some of it off the property and put in to a little bottle as a souvenir.
My family lived in Oregon (and still does) within viewable range of Mt St Helens. We had camped up that mountain several times when I was growing up, and my folks might occasionally still do so back then. I was worried that they may have been affected by it.
I tried for three days to get a phone call in to my folks, but the phone lines were "clogged", which only added to my concern. On the fourth day I finally got through to them and they were fine. They had been camping when it erupted, but they were on Mt Hood at the time and didn't even learn about the Mt St Helens eruption until the day after it happened.
My Dad was in the Oregon Army National Guard at that time. His unit was activated to provide assistance. He has some stories about the ash being difficult to deal with, making it hard to breath, engine air filters clogging, etc…
My Grand Parents in Portland did, on a subsequent eruption, get a little ash on their property. Grandma collected some of it off the property and put in to a little bottle as a souvenir.
cowboy117
Member
31 years ago;i was living in Mo.then.In 1985 i moved to Vacaville, Ca.They got ash from mount St.Helens.On another note,i live in Merlin,Or.and have been to Sams Valley many times.Beautiful.Ialso used to hike up Lower Table Rock.
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In 1885!?! Dang, you are OLD!
I'm sure you meant 1985. Sorry, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to jest another fellow Oregonian.
cowboy117
Member
In 1885!?! Dang, you are OLD!
I changed it before i saw your post.When i read it i LMAO!
I was a Soldier at Fort Lewis, WA. We all went up on the roof of the three story building we worked in and watched the clouds of ash and smoke for most of the afternoon.
