May 18th, 1980 at 8:32am PDT
[enter dork] I fell asleep last night to a program on The Discovery Channel talking about volcanoes. I am absolutely fascinated by them and guess that's due to the fact I was seven when Mt. St. Helens blew her top in 1980.
I have been lucky enough to summit the mountain three times, each time adventurous in its own way. Sure the mountain is 1300 feet lower after the 1980 event, but it doesn't mean it's any easier to not get lost. One of our trips up we almost had to call a search and rescue team since my good friend, we'll call him Todd, was no where to be found. Thankfully he did show up an hour later in his wet jeans and the search was called off.
For those of you not from the Northwest there are three amazing parts about the Mt. St. Helens summit trek. First there are some wonderful caves to explore on your way to base camp. They are extinct lava tubes that seem to go on forever. They are known as the Ape Caves. Next you are rewarded with a view of the crater once you summit the mountain. From the top of Mt. St. Helens you can see three other volcanic peaks: Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood. If there's a lunar landscape on earth, the view from the top of the mountain even 25 years later shows the power of mother nature.
Finally, you get to slide down the mountain on the glacier. This is my favorite part about the trek since it's longest sledding hill ever. Just turn your backpack around and get ready to drop 4,000 feet. It's a great adrenaline rush and will put those childhood sled hills to shame really quick. [exit dork]
*photo courtesy of PDX Scott.
I have been lucky enough to summit the mountain three times, each time adventurous in its own way. Sure the mountain is 1300 feet lower after the 1980 event, but it doesn't mean it's any easier to not get lost. One of our trips up we almost had to call a search and rescue team since my good friend, we'll call him Todd, was no where to be found. Thankfully he did show up an hour later in his wet jeans and the search was called off.
For those of you not from the Northwest there are three amazing parts about the Mt. St. Helens summit trek. First there are some wonderful caves to explore on your way to base camp. They are extinct lava tubes that seem to go on forever. They are known as the Ape Caves. Next you are rewarded with a view of the crater once you summit the mountain. From the top of Mt. St. Helens you can see three other volcanic peaks: Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood. If there's a lunar landscape on earth, the view from the top of the mountain even 25 years later shows the power of mother nature.
Finally, you get to slide down the mountain on the glacier. This is my favorite part about the trek since it's longest sledding hill ever. Just turn your backpack around and get ready to drop 4,000 feet. It's a great adrenaline rush and will put those childhood sled hills to shame really quick. [exit dork]
*photo courtesy of PDX Scott.
posted by egan at
8:32 AM
