Mount St Helens...
Alive and Well

Mount St. Helens is a fabulous spectacle in the Northwest.  We had the opportunity to climb St. Helens in 1976, four years before she blew her top.  The mountain is an awesome attraction.  It's expressed its devastating powers yet showed the earth's growth process.  This is fascinating, to actually experience the earth changing. 

Mount St. Helens is located in the Cascade Mountain Range, a part of the infamous "Ring of Fire" that circles the entire coastal Pacific Ocean.  Look at a globe and view the entire coastlands associated with the Pacific Ocean.  It's these areas that are highly subject to volcanic eruptions.  The eruptions are caused by large plates of land colliding with one another beneath the ground, called a subduction zone.  It's fascinating!  You'll learn all about volcanoes and how the earth grows when you visit the many visitor centers on the mountain.

It was May 18, 1980 when Mount St. Helens violently erupted, exploding off 1,300 feet of the mountains top. The entire earth experienced the effects of the eruption.  Ash was blown thousands of feet into the air, was caught in the "jet stream" and soon engulfed the entire planet.  Now, over two decades have passed and the mountain continues to live, blowing off steam and sending ripples of shock waves throughout neighboring communities.  The land blooms once again, and wildlife thrives; however, the awe struck power of Mother Nature is still seen.  Logs remain, blown like toothpicks from the blast.  Ash covers the hill sides and fills the air with blowing winds. 

Come and visit the only active volcanoes in the continental U.S.  After 123 years of inactivity, Mount St. Helens has come alive to teach us about our dynamic planet.  The US Forest Service has a great website explaining many functions of the mountain, Mount St. Helens.

The Editorial Staff
Northwest Travel Tips