Mt. St. Helens
Mt. St. Helens is awake again. While scientists say they still do not expect as large of an event as the volcano's devastating May 18, 1980, eruption, the activity is certainly now present once again. The interest in this geological event has many in our area very interested in seeing this first hand. But what about going to see this up close? |
 View of Mt St. Helens from a few miles north of Battle Ground on Hwy 503
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| There are a few things to keep in mind if you should decide to travel up to see this. First of all the visitors center has at least for now, been closed. This situation is likely to be an ever changing situation until the mountain goes back to sleep. The roads leading up to the areas that surround this area are not designed for heavy traffic and the possibility of traffic congestion is a possibility. The roads particularly on Highway 503 north of Fargher Lake are relatively narrow with many curves and require a high level of driver attention. | |||||||||||||
| More Information on Mt. St. Helens: | Live view of Mt. St. Helens from Johnston Ridge Observatory | Special Conditions Report | USGS Volcano Observatory | Photo Gallery of Mt. St. Helens from Channel 6 KOIN | Photo Gallery of Oct 1st eruption from Channel 2 KATU | ||||||||
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| Comment: If you were one of the unfortunate people affected by the ash fall out back in 1980, you probably are not looking forward to this potential reoccurrence. A resident now of Amboy, WA, I was living in Hillsboro, Oregon at the time when Mt. St. Helens spewed it's ash into our area back in 1980. The novelty of this event, which was like dark falling snow, quickly wore off. Not only was I staring at gray skies which we are accustomed to, I was now staring at gray ground cover which I would be shoveling for a days to come. The very fine ash was easily stirred up by the slightest breeze and was a hazard to breath. This also caused the extra cost and inconvenience of changing air filters on your automobile on a regular basis. This same dust also acted as a mild sand blasting effect deteriorating windshields and the paint on cars. The phrase "been there, done that" immediately comes to mind, with no desire for a repeat performance. | |||||||||||||
