Soon after I married Mt. St. Helens began to awaken. Two months later the volcano’s explosive eruption was international news. I remember picture after picture of the eruption, the area around the volcano and the loss of life so well. Although in my life, my marriage was the most important event of 1980, I knew for everyone else it was the sight of Mt. St. Helen’s eruption.
Each anniversary for this tragic day, I think back to my friends who were married in Washington state just a few days after the devastation. Although they lived closer to Spokane, and were not impacted by the actual eruption, the smoke and ash did make the trip and changed the atmosphere of their wedding. I wish I could have been there to see their wedding and the ash! But I could not.
This event has been etched in my mind! I had to see for myself what Mt. St. Helens looks like now. In June I finally had that chance.
Before a cruise we were taking along the Columbia and Snake River, my husband and I took a tour up to Mt. St. Helens. We were supposed to go to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, where the volcanologist, Davide Johnston, died. Unfortunately, there was a mudslide a few days before our trip. Instead we went to the Elk Overlook and then to The Weyerhaeuser’s Charles W. Bingham Forest Learning Center, then to the Mt. St. Helen’s Visitors Center operated by the National Park Service.
Seeing the volcano, even from a distance, was stunning. You can see clearly where the side of the mountain blew out! At the learning center, there are photos of the area before and after the blast. It is amazing how the logging company has planted millions of trees and changed the look of the area. Within the national park site. Nothing has been planted by man. All the new growth was by nature alone.
The Cascades are amazing. The Douglas Fir trees and Giant Sequoias meet all expectations!
After seeing Mt. St. Helens, it seemed apropos to also go to see her sister volcano, Mount Hood. It has been dormant since 1866, but it is still monitored in case it decides to wake up. Tourists can get much closer to Mt. Hood. In fact, people can walk a trail to the top. We did not do that, but we did walk part of the trail. There was snow so I was glad I had a jacket.
We started our visit there at the lovely Timberline Lodge, which was built in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The giant timbers used to make the hexagon lobby are impressive. There are many lovely carvings and other artworks throughout that make it a great place to visit.
From the lodge there are many wonderful views of the volcano as well as the start of the walking trails up the mountain and around it.
It is an active hotel and ski resort. I would love to be there as an overnight guest. We ate lunch in the dining room and the food was delicious.
If you are in area of Portland, Oregon, or Vancouver, Washington, taking trips to these two volcanos would be great. Besides seeing the mountains, we also visited the Rose Gardens in Portland, a stop that any rose lover should not miss. There were thousands upon thousands of magnificent roses. We visited the roses on the way to Mt. St. Helens. Before we went up to Mt. Hood, we spent some time walking the trails and seeing the 611-foot high, Multnomah Falls. Also a lovely place to visit.
These two days were among the highlights of our trip!
zicharonot 