I was 27 when Mt St Helens woke up and decided to change the landscape forever. We took a break from building our home and drove up to Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula. When we looked back toward the south, we could see a huge cloud like a terrific fire had erupted…or a bomb. But no, it was the whole mountain belching an ash cloud miles high.

Spin the dial ahead 39 years…. The Oregon Airstream Club had planned their Year-End Rally at the Silver Cove Resort, about 50 miles from the mountain; we quickly signed up to go. The resort worked well, hosting our large crowd, and was a base for visiting the mountain.

We had watched the TV reports of the volcano, spewing clouds of ash, the flooding, the destruction, the lives lost. But I never really got the full impact until I visited the Johnston Ridge Observatory at mile 52 on the Spirit Lake Hwy (504). The center is named after the volcanologist David Johnston, who was camped out on the ridge observing the volcano when it blew. His final words were “Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it.” He was never found.

There is a video of the eruption that shows, clearly what happened. A landslide, where the entire side of the mountain calved off and slid down the face. This opened up the pyroclastic flow and caused a lateral explosion of rock, ash and hot gases. Much of mountain side filled into Spirit Lake causing waves over 400 feet high and mud flowed into the river. The explosion killed every living thing for 230 square miles. Again, I couldn’t imagine, after 39 years, that I would be as awe-struck as I was reading about the blast and seeing for myself the destruction that it caused. Some of the flora is just now re-entering the area, brought in by winds and birds. But it will be generations before we see the forests again.  Standing out on the ridge, looking back at the mountain, I cannot imagine what it looked like before the blast.  You can see the level of blast effects in all directions…trees gone, creating a line around the peaks.

After our tour, we joined our friends for lunch at the Famous (well….) Patty’s Place at 19 mile House. It was a quaint little place with terrific berry cobbler, sandwiches, and drinks….and a terrific view. Definitely a recommended spot!

The Silver Cove Resort is on Silver Lake, just a couple of miles from Toutle. It is a large RV resort with both open and wooded sites. Our club rally was fantastic…with great meals, lots of laughter and evening campfires. A great way to….well…. just be! See you guys again next year!