BEAUTY ATOP THE ASHES OF MOUNT ST. HELENS

CAROL WRITES:  After leaving the bustling, hectic scene of Portland city life, we headed up into Washington State to rural and green Silver Lake Campground. 

Here we enjoyed a quiet, convenient base camp from which to explore Mount St. Helens, a  notoriously active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range that last erupted in 1980.  

In order to appreciate the enormity of the destruction at Mount St. Helens, one need only look at photographs that recollected what a pristine and popular tourist destination this land used to be.  Camping and hiking were exceptional at Spirit Lake at the base of what was then a perfectly proportioned active volcano in the Cascade portion of the Ring of Fire.

Internet photo of Mount St. Helens before eruption in 1980

Then, after weeks of rumbling, on the morning of May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m., a 5.2 magnitude earthquake blew away 1300 feet of mountain off the north-facing side.  This lateral blast created the largest landslide in recorded history and forever rearranged the landscape for many miles in the distance. 

In an instant all the trees within 6 miles of the summit were flattened to the earth by a massive pyroclastic blast to the north.  

During our family year on the road 29 years ago, we visited Mount St. Helens.  At that 1989 visit we attempted to do a little hiking but were turned back by what we remember as very rugged trail conditions marked by fallen trees and steep drop-offs.

Fast forward almost 30 years, and we wondered if the landscape would be all that different…

Oh my goodness, things had definitely changed!  We were astounded by the complexity of the natural recovery that had taken place.  From the Johnston Ridge lookout it took some searching to spot any fallen trees,

as many of them had eroded and decayed over the ensuing three decades. 

For a close-up look at the blast zone, we headed over to the hummocks area that had been created by giant chunks of Mount St. Helens that were deposited by the landslide.  On the Hummocks Trail we discovered a hard-packed surface with a tiny dusting of gray volcanic ash on top.  Remarkably, almost 40-year-old vegetation of trees and flowers had repopulated the once-deserted landscape.

At the Johnston Ridge Observatory we watched a short film that gave an excellent account of the events leading up to and following the eruption.  In a brilliant move of stagecraft, at the conclusion of the movie the curtains parted in the dark auditorium and we were awed by a perfectly framed view of the leading lady herself—Mount St. Helens!

Outside, along with several dozen other visitors, we had our turn at getting our vanity photo at the perfect picture spot.

The short trail out of Johnston Ridge Visitor Center 

was through the former blast zone.  The land immediately adjacent to the peak retained a spooky moonscape appearance.

It was a bit creepy to observe that the dome was once again bulging within the mountain’s crater.

As lava continues to cook in magma chambers below, Al photographed the mountain sending faint puffs of steam arising from heated waterfalls within giant crevices.

It was obvious even to the casual observer that Mount St. Helens is still very much an active volcano that will erupt again some time in the future. 

On a scorching hot day, while I stayed back at camp, Al took a much longer hike along Harry’s Ridge and had great vistas of Mt. Adams

and Mt. Hood.

The trail eventually led to a great view of Spirit Lake, once a popular tourist destination that had become a toxic sludge pond after the eruption.  Nearly 40 years later, the lake still had a floating carpet of logs that were washed down into the lake during the explosion.

During this 2018 visit, we found it interesting to observe how the surrounding land around Mount St. Helens has reclaimed itself since our first visit in 1989.  Out of the ashes of rearranged landmarks dotted with twisted and shattered stumps of once tall forests,

a new baby forest, along with shrubs and flowers,

has become established.  The explosion on that May day in 1980 evaporated entire lakes; yet the scene of today showed that wildlife, along with thriving new blue lakes (like Coldwater Lake), had returned.

Two visits to Mount St. Helens—separated by nearly three decades—produced pronounced contrasts in observations.  While our visit in 1989 was a sober lesson about the destructive power of a volcanic eruption, the present-day story of Mount St. Helens has morphed into a message of rebirth and resilience…

FAMILY TIME IN PORTLAND

Carol writes:   From the moment we arrived on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, we had the feeling that Portland was where all the baby boomer hippies must have come to live out their lives.  The ambience and social vibes we experienced were definitely different.  Portland’s progressive politics and hippie residents were like a flashback to the Age of Aquarius.

The 60s scene from our youth was on full display at Saturday’s Portland Farmers Market, 

where there were almost as many flower stands as food vendors.  While surrounded by a profusion of fresh produce, the music certainly invited us to sit and listen while enjoying a great cup of coffee and a cranberry scone.

Our campground was located in tiny Troutdale, a small bedroom community 12 miles east of Portland, at the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia Rivers.

While daughter Megan visited us for 4 days, Troutdale was a perfect gateway for fun excursions up the Columbia River Gorge.

At Megan’s suggestion, on the first day we headed up the Columbia Gorge to a series of wineries.  The first stop was our favorite—The Gorge White House—where we delighted in samples of hard cider made out of Oregon’s diverse bounty of fresh fruit.  Megan and Mom took over the selection of hard ciders accompanied by a snack food pairing,

under the watchful eye of Mt. Hood in the distance.

The White House also offered pick-it-yourself blueberries and raspberries; we couldn’t resist…

This cloudless sunny day was just perfect for precious family photographs with a slumbering  volcano in the Cascade section of the Ring of Fire off in the distance.

The only hard part about refilling our “wine cellar” was limiting our choices.

A Sunday brunch cruise on the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler out of Cascade Locks was a unique way to experience the history and natural beauty of the Columbia River, the fourth largest river in the United States.

The setting was classy and the food was delicious.

As the sternwheeler maneuvered under the Bridge of the Gods,

and up to the impressive Bonneville Dam,

we were treated to unique viewpoints.

After the cruise, we drove to the Bonneville Dam

for a closer look at this marvel of hydroelectric power.

We got an up-close look at the fish-friendly engineering of fish ladders that were designed to protect seasonal runs of salmon along the Columbia River.

The powerhouse of the largest producer of hydroelectric power in North America was a pristine marvel of mechanical ingenuity.

We rounded out our Sunday excursion at the Vista House viewpoint 733 feet above the Columbia River.

For our third day’s excursion, the Galus Family decided on a trip into Portland.  First stop was the iconic Portland Japanese Garden, a haven of cool tranquil beauty perched high above the downtown.

Authentic Japanese landscaping along with lovely koi ponds completed the picture.

We actually found the next door International Rose Test Garden, overlooking the Portland skyline, to be a bit more interesting…

Portland, the City of Roses, had just concluded the annual Rose Festival, and the roses were showing their most exquisite side.

Every color imaginable, and all in between, were on display.  This lavender one especially caught my eye.

A visit to the world’s largest book store at Powell’s City of Books 

and an excellent meal at a Thai restaurant downtown rounded out a fun-filled family day for all…

By the 4th of July, a Portland summer had kicked into gear.  All trees and flowers were leafy and in full-bloom.  Grapes were still small and green; however, the promise of a bountiful harvest that would produce great Oregon wine was clearly in the forecast.

At Portland’s location halfway between the North Pole and the Equator, daylight hours were long, so we had lots of time to explore.  We experimented by riding the MAX Light Rail all the way into Portland from where we were camped.  

The MAX was smooth, very cheap and efficient!  We couldn’t agree more with Portland’s reputation of having one of the best public mass transit systems in the country!

Portland was one of those 2-week stopovers where I was actually a little sad on leaving, but our ambitious travel schedule dictated we must.    

Portland was the fifth city where daughter Megan caught up with us on the trail (also:  Santa Fe, Charleston, Amarillo, and Reno).  I will always remember Portland fondly as the place where we had another great session of family time with our Megan Rose.

“…and love will steer the stars”

Aquarius, The 5th Dimension