41st Anniversary of Mt. St. Helens eruption

[quilbilly]

That was a Sunday and I was doing my Navy Reserve duty in downtown Seattle when Mt. St. Helens blew. The very next day I had to go down to Oregon to see my customers and that happened to be the day the wind shifted. The trip down I-5 was something terrible and crossing the Toutle River Bridge was exciting. I still don't know how that bridge remained standing with the mud flowing bank-full at 30 mph. Coming up the coast two days later (I-5 was closed) was terrifying with every log truck kicking up so much volcanic ash that you couldn't see the road.
The place I go to camp, fish, and hunt in Central Washington still hasn't recovered from the ash fall which killed almost all the small herbivores and the antelope. I still hope for the day the jackrabbits return. (somehow the desert doesn't seem quite right without jackrabbits).

[BigAlofPa.]

My how time flies so fast. It don't seam like it's been over 40 years. I remember when the twin towers were struck. I was on my way to the chiropractor. When Howard Stern announced it. He said folks im not joking. This is real or something along those lines.

[Idaho45guy]

I was 12 years old and lived in Moscow, Idaho, which is about 250 miles East of the mountain.

I was at a motocross race at The Fossil Bowl, near Clarkia, ID with my cousin, who was a competitor. We had just finished a race, and were loading up the van (1977 copper colored Chevy van with slotted dish mags, lol.) when we spotted a dark cloud appearing out of the West over the mountains.

This is Idaho, and the weather was beautiful, but weird spring storms are frequent, so we figured a thunderstorm was brewing.

We quickly loaded up the van and hit the road. No radio reception up there, no internet existed, and no CB in the van, so we were completely in the dark.

Within a few miles, the ominous cloud enveloped us and it turned dark as night, with what we first thought was snow, was actually ash. Took us a couple of hours to drive the 70 miles or so back home and we finally got radio reception about an hour later and heard that the mountain had blew.

We ended up getting about 3" of ash in town. Everybody wore masks. My mom was freaking out over the effects of the ash on her horses. They all lived with no apparent ill effects.

Our local paper back then...

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Driving on the highway out of town...

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[abunaitoo]

Has it been that long ago????
Time flies.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I logged on the north edges of the blast till the friday before , would have been closer on the monday after , logged in that mess for the next 3-4 years .

Had a good friend a fellow shooter whos passed on the 18th of may 2007 , I do remember the day well .

[Shanghai Jack]

That was a Sunday and I was doing my Navy Reserve duty in downtown Seattle when Mt. St. Helens blew. The very next day I had to go down to Oregon to see my customers and that happened to be the day the wind shifted. The trip down I-5 was something terrible and crossing the Toutle River Bridge was exciting. I still don't know how that bridge remained standing with the mud flowing bank-full at 30 mph. Coming up the coast two days later (I-5 was closed) was terrifying with every log truck kicking up so much volcanic ash that you couldn't see the road.
The place I go to camp, fish, and hunt in Central Washington still hasn't recovered from the ash fall which killed almost all the small herbivores and the antelope. I still hope for the day the jackrabbits return. (somehow the desert doesn't seem quite right without jackrabbits).

Was that the old building in South Union that they turned into a Museum? I was there as well and collected a gallon bottle of ash that I still have. Being the unluckiest person in the world I was "essential personnel" at Clark AFB in 91 when Pinatubo went off. Almost everyone else left 4 days before the big explosion. Then I came back to a duty station in California just in time for the 94 northridge quake. I've felt like I've been walking around under a black cloud for years. I'm surprised that I didn't get hit by the Chinese spacecraft last week.

[bluebird66]

I remember it very well, I was in high school and one of my friends had family in Washington. They sent him a container full of the volcanic ash and he showed it to me. That was the first time that I had saw any ash from a volcano. Have never seen it since.

[Three44s]

I remember it like it was yesterday! Can not believe it’s been that many years ago however.

I was 24 years old and back home been done with college for 2 years farming with Dad. My brother and I were up changing wheel lines and were racing to beat the horrendous “T Storm” coming over to the Cascade Mts. in the Yakima Valley that morning (actually the ash cloud). We figured there would be one hell of a wind storm and we wanted those water lines full of water to prevent their blowing away when the storm arrived!

We changed what could and put our motor bikes away and headed for home. Before we got 1mile the cloud was upon us. I saw “dirt” being kicked up on the County road by the droves of campers pouring out of the hills right then and thought that it must be so charged up with static electricity that the T-storm was carrying soil with it.

Very odd!

Well, we got met with “where have you been”? “The mountain blew, get inside”.

Power went down quickly and a battery power radio dialed to KIT 1280 AM was our ear to the world.

The next day was a very eery experience! Lots of dust still filled the air but at least it was light enough to see a ways.

Then the clean up that followed!

Mark

[Idaho45guy]

Being the unluckiest person in the world I was "essential personnel" at Clark AFB in 91 when Pinatubo went off. Almost everyone else left 4 days before the big explosion.

I was part of Operation Fiery Vigil, in which our Naval battle group was tasked with evacuating dependents from Clark.

I have photos of what I believe is Clark AFB after the eruption. Might have been Subic, can't remember...

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[lightman]

I remember it but like the others it just doesn't seem like its been that long.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Ha I wish it was not that long ago , time takes its toll , only feel like I am in my 30's wished it was so , was ugly logging that stuff , Lazy W did keep 2 helicopters at the ready for the injured and yes they were used , those pilots were ex viet nam vets and they flew us who got hurt out on the crappiest of days , a long time ago and when a man could still work and still would .

[slim1836]

Still have a pill bottle of the ash, somewhere...

Slim

[Larry Gibson]

I was at an IPSC match in Hermiston, Oregon. Heard and felt the blast, saw the cloud of ash rising and traveling east.....remember it well.??

[robg]

our weather even over here was awful that year.

[Wayne Smith]

I was in Grad school in south LA county - my brother was in Seattle and we made plans to ride the train up to see him. Had the reservations weeks before and then the mountain blew - LOML is a geologist. We rode the train up less than a week after it blew - amazing ride up the coast.

[Gator 45/70]

You loggers up there, Tell us about the ape men in ape valley close to the Mt.

[PhilC]

I was stationed at Yokota AB, Japan when St. Helens blew, my immediate concern at the time was for my folks and family in Lacey, WA. Was able to reach them by phone later and learned they were fine and the ash went east. Doesn't seem that long ago until I realize my son, who was born 2 months after we left Japan, will be 38 in June which is how old I was when I retired from USAF.

Don't remember if any ash made it to mainland Japan but do have a couple of the requisite ash filled pill bottles.

[blackthorn]

I was on a training course in Harrison Hot Springs BC (North/East of Vancouver BC). WE got some very fine ash on the cars parked for the week, but nothing serious.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Ape canyon had no sasquatch or bigfoot , worked with a tarheel hooktender who laughed about his 2 uncles who would go up and make tracks where people would see them , Used to be a lot of hermits as the old timers called them who lived on the fringes and out in the timber , whole bunch of old bachelors lived in a small community up off the Kalama river .

I remember my uncles and dad talking about the old hermit who wore a coat and looked like a bear when he was picking apples from an old orchard , one of the reasons look till you are sure of what you are seeing , I did work with a hooktender that from a distance with his build and appearance appeared to be a sasquatch .

I logged up 30 mile and higher before it blew , worked all sides after doing cleanup and salvage logging , roads are gated off now and the main road up spirit lake highway is closed at one point and new road goes to there lookout , sign saying do not walk off the trails or it is a fine .

Left nothing up there I want to go back for , busted bones and memories , long rides in crummies .

[quilbilly]

Was that the old building in South Union that they turned into a Museum? I was there as well and collected a gallon bottle of ash that I still have. Being the unluckiest person in the world I was "essential personnel" at Clark AFB in 91 when Pinatubo went off. Almost everyone else left 4 days before the big explosion. Then I came back to a duty station in California just in time for the 94 northridge quake. I've felt like I've been walking around under a black cloud for years. I'm surprised that I didn't get hit by the Chinese spacecraft last week.
Yes, that was the building. It was still a NavResCen at the time. My minesweeper was in dry dock there at the time so the crew met there. I didn't even know it was turned into a museum.

[quilbilly]

You loggers up there, Tell us about the ape men in ape valley close to the Mt.
Ape Canyon and Cave are roughly on the south side of what is left of the volcano so didn't get as much damage. The legend about Ape Canyon is that some miner/prospectors chasing gold built a cabin up there in the canyon in the late 1800's. Apparently the Sasquatches took offense and rained logs and rocks onto the cabin plus howled all night. Don't know if any gold was found but that geology on the side of a young volcano usually doesn't produce much more than flour gold if that. I wandered the North Cascades near the Skykomish River for decades particularly in an area famous for Sasquatches and never heard or saw a sign. The Toutle River that took the brunt of the lahar damage from the eruption was a wonderful summer steelhead stream before the blast and is actually making a bit of a comeback in the upper clear water section.

[Isaac]

I remember the blast. Living on the east coast we were not very effected as I recall. I do remember reports about ash in the jet stream but don't remember any effects. What a shame. It sounds like there was some beautiful country up that way.

Isaac