40 years ago I was sitting in a Chevy pickup 100 miles outside Sebha Libya having a bite to eat and listening to BBC on the radio when the mountain blew. From what I heard on the radio I didn't know what to expect when I got home. Where do the years go? Do you recall what you where doing when the mountain blew?
St Helens
- Thread starter B~C
- Start date
Peter & Judy
New member
I remember the weekend that it blew and ash was falling lightly in Calgary, Alberta. That weekend we built a new deck on my parents home, The deck is still there, I have renovated it twice and my mother still lives in the house. Except now as she is living with us on our ranch to protect her from C-19.
Ken, This year, May 18, will be the 40th anniversary of my second birthday. :roll: :? YUP. (Which means my youngest Kid is just over 40 years old.)
So how does that work? It's a bit of a story, but I had been photographing around the PNW for several years and lived in Portland. From the first day of the first rattling, (Early March), I was up around the mountain every possible moment. There was a book (Fire and Ice, IIRC) that predicted the eruption for about 0100 on Monday morning, May 19, based on the theory that the lava, (magma) was a liquid and subject to lunar tidal gravity like the ocean, and that was the highest tide of that Spring. Made good sense to me. I had access to gate codes for the area (needed because everyone was locked out for their safety) and had picked a perfect spot to set up my cameras and watch the lave flow as it came over the top and ran down the side, like the Hawaiian volcanoes did. Sunday morning about 05 I left home and headed up toward the mountain to set up camp and be ready for the night show. About 0630 I was distracted by some hot air balloons near LaCenter, and went off chasing them until they landed. One of them set up to do tether rides, and I stayed around chatting with some folks and slowly packing my gear to continue up to the NE side of the mountain. From where we were we could not even see the top of St Helens because there was a ridge just to the east. AT 0802, the balloon was at the top of a 500 foot tether line when the riders started yelling that he mountain had blown. We did not hear anything on the ground except the yelling of the riders. I hurriedly finished packing my photo gear and took off the areas I could get to. The roads were blocked by sheriff patrol, Forest service rangers, and anyone who had flashing lights on their rigs so my access was limited. I was 2 hours too late to get where I wanted to be. Had I been there I would have been one of two things, vaporized, or buried under several hundred feet of mountain rock. I consider May 18 my second birth day because I am convinced my Guardian Angels kept me distracted for those 2 hours, saving my life. I did get some great photos, got kicked out of my spots, twice by 2 different cops and a second time from the same spot when the cop came back and found I hadn't left after the first time he chased me out, (predicting pyroclast flows that would come down the south side, via Swift creek flow and flood Merwin Dam over my position.
The mountain from my position above Merwin Dam.
It was one of the most awesome days of my life eclipsing Total solar eclipses, the Columbus Day storm of 1962 and some other natural disasters that now, do not seem to even compare. I watched a cubic mile of earth disappear, and about 1300 feet in elevation of the mountain go away, a nearly constant lightning storm, and nature was quiet enough that I could hear sizzle from the mountain that was still miles away.
Thanks Ken, for bringing this up, and giving me a chance to share my story.
Here is a link to Wiki info about the mountain and the eruption:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
So how does that work? It's a bit of a story, but I had been photographing around the PNW for several years and lived in Portland. From the first day of the first rattling, (Early March), I was up around the mountain every possible moment. There was a book (Fire and Ice, IIRC) that predicted the eruption for about 0100 on Monday morning, May 19, based on the theory that the lava, (magma) was a liquid and subject to lunar tidal gravity like the ocean, and that was the highest tide of that Spring. Made good sense to me. I had access to gate codes for the area (needed because everyone was locked out for their safety) and had picked a perfect spot to set up my cameras and watch the lave flow as it came over the top and ran down the side, like the Hawaiian volcanoes did. Sunday morning about 05 I left home and headed up toward the mountain to set up camp and be ready for the night show. About 0630 I was distracted by some hot air balloons near LaCenter, and went off chasing them until they landed. One of them set up to do tether rides, and I stayed around chatting with some folks and slowly packing my gear to continue up to the NE side of the mountain. From where we were we could not even see the top of St Helens because there was a ridge just to the east. AT 0802, the balloon was at the top of a 500 foot tether line when the riders started yelling that he mountain had blown. We did not hear anything on the ground except the yelling of the riders. I hurriedly finished packing my photo gear and took off the areas I could get to. The roads were blocked by sheriff patrol, Forest service rangers, and anyone who had flashing lights on their rigs so my access was limited. I was 2 hours too late to get where I wanted to be. Had I been there I would have been one of two things, vaporized, or buried under several hundred feet of mountain rock. I consider May 18 my second birth day because I am convinced my Guardian Angels kept me distracted for those 2 hours, saving my life. I did get some great photos, got kicked out of my spots, twice by 2 different cops and a second time from the same spot when the cop came back and found I hadn't left after the first time he chased me out, (predicting pyroclast flows that would come down the south side, via Swift creek flow and flood Merwin Dam over my position.
The mountain from my position above Merwin Dam.
It was one of the most awesome days of my life eclipsing Total solar eclipses, the Columbus Day storm of 1962 and some other natural disasters that now, do not seem to even compare. I watched a cubic mile of earth disappear, and about 1300 feet in elevation of the mountain go away, a nearly constant lightning storm, and nature was quiet enough that I could hear sizzle from the mountain that was still miles away.
Thanks Ken, for bringing this up, and giving me a chance to share my story.
Here is a link to Wiki info about the mountain and the eruption:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Harvey - that is a great story! Thanks goodness for the hot air balloons and the hot air that still rises from La Center today!
What were you doing in Libya, B~C, military service or work? Or maybe rodeo riding and roping camels?
I don't recall what I was doing right when the mountain blew but I recall my little black MGB getting covered in ash. I think I was sleeping when it happened so I must have been on night shift that week or recovering from one of my frequent night shifts of the non work variety.
What were you doing in Libya, B~C, military service or work? Or maybe rodeo riding and roping camels?
I don't recall what I was doing right when the mountain blew but I recall my little black MGB getting covered in ash. I think I was sleeping when it happened so I must have been on night shift that week or recovering from one of my frequent night shifts of the non work variety.
King5 in Seattle has a ton of Mt St H stuff on their web site. Their lead meteorologist Rich Marriott was working for the Forest Service in Geology studying avalanche prediction at the time and was involved in rescue efforts after the blow.
I flew up and around the mountain, and circled in the crater 2 days after the blow. There were still geyser spouts all the way down the Tuttle river to I-5. It looks like the moon surface, as President Carter indicated when he toured the same area couple days later.
Catch some of the coverage of this even this weekend. It is awe inspiring.
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
I flew up and around the mountain, and circled in the crater 2 days after the blow. There were still geyser spouts all the way down the Tuttle river to I-5. It looks like the moon surface, as President Carter indicated when he toured the same area couple days later.
Catch some of the coverage of this even this weekend. It is awe inspiring.
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
Whoops, here is the link to the KING 5 Mt St H site.
https://www.king5.com/search?q=mt+st+helens
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
https://www.king5.com/search?q=mt+st+helens
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Tony Ferris
New member
I really enjoyed the story of your guardian angel.
I was at work in north Denver. For a long time, every day after work, I had to wipe off the ash from my windshield before I would go home. I discovered after the first time that using my windshield wipers was a big mistake. It would turn to muck that dried like concrete.
I was at work in north Denver. For a long time, every day after work, I had to wipe off the ash from my windshield before I would go home. I discovered after the first time that using my windshield wipers was a big mistake. It would turn to muck that dried like concrete.