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(Not an exact panorama of the mountain, but it's close.)
It's only about 50 miles away from Portland to Mount Saint Helens, if you have an airplane. It's a bit farther of a drive the way I went -- about 120 miles to go north up Interstate 5 and over on Road 504 East (Exit 49 for future travelers).
Mount Saint Helens is, of course, remembered (vaguely, but I do remember) for the large eruption that occurred on May 18, 1980. For a bit of history, I found a good online publication from the U.S. Geologic Survey.
On this day, as with all days since 1991, the volcano was quiet. The volcano is slowly filling in the huge crater formed by the 1980 eruption with a lava dome. As you may read in the U.S.G.S. publication, at the rate of growth of the dome in the rest of the 1980s, the mountain would once again be a cinder cone in about 200 years. I ended up at the Johnstone Ridge Observatory, which is the location of a live view of the mountain, updated every 10 minutes (hopefully). For a comparison, check out this picture taken on May 17, 1980, the day before the major eruption. Note the vegetation!
There was a little wind on this day kicking up dust in the crater that is caused by rocks and ice falling down the slopes of the "rim" of the mountain.
Last Revised: 14 September 1999
Complaints: blupwa@lupwa.org
