Mt St Helens Eruption

I can credit this buzz in my life completely to Scrap's out of control collection of old National Geographics. I'm not much for words, but I appreciate how natural disasters tend to serve as our planet's way of response to our culture. The shear power of nature goes unappreciated too often. A result of a massive, underground earthquake, the eruption also cause a large portion of the mountain to slide over 10 miles and mud to flow over 30 miles. Ash could be seen throughout the country due to high speed, coastal winds.



All three of these images were shot by Ralph Perry. Reid Blackburn, a photographer for the Vancouver Columbian died in the aftermath of the eruption. He had been camping in the back country nearby and was found in his car near his campsite, buried in ash (below). There is also an article detailing a man, Harry Truman, who had grown up in the area. He had made a small cabin to share for his wife on the shores of Lake Spirit, just north of the mountain and in the path of the main flow of debris. He swore off the evacuation efforts, claiming he had plenty of whiskey and food to last him.



Mt. St. Helens is still classified as an active. Super up to date and scientific info can be found at the Cascades Volcano Observatory's website.