Mt. St. Helens
Mit standing on Coldwater Ridge, Johnston Ridge is between us and St. Helens.
I remember clearly, where I was the day that this beautiful mountain blew 33 yrs. ago, and took 54 lives, devastating hundreds of acres in beautiful timberland.
I was camping up at Sol Duc Hot Springs, in the Olympic National Park.
On this very beautiful day, the main road up to Johnston Ridge was closed still, so we parked on the other side of the gate and hiked the mile up the road to get to the trail head that takes you up to Coldwater Lake Ridge. Coldwater Lake was not even there before the mountain blew. The lahar, (mud flow) blocked the Coldwater Creek, and it made the lake.
Coldwater Lake
Much of the land around the mountain has been designated a monument, and was never replanted in timber, the national forest lands have been replanted, and there is a clear distinction of where that boundary is when you are hiking in this area. On the ridgeline in the picture below you can see the boundary line.
Coming from a long family line of loggers/timber fallers, it was very sobering when we came across the mangled tower and Cat~ to see this mammoth equipment still here on the ridge, all bent and broken, it is hard to imagine the force that was unleashed, such an enormous event, that created a huge lake, flattened hundreds of acres of big timber, and deposited 150 ft. of mud and ash through out the valleys below.
There is a tree embedded in the tower above
In the above picture, the valley beyond is 150 ft. higher than it was before the blast
Cat~
Bent metal ~ swivel
The parking lot was almost empty when we arrived.....
Mit & I
and when we got back it was a little over half way full ~
Beautiful Mt. St. Helens
