Lava Flowing Over Things 2009 (Mount St. Helens)

Oddly enough, even after living in Washington state for almost 27 years, I had never visited Mount St. Helens. Oh, sure, when I first came up here in '82, my ex and I visited the "viewpoint" as close as visitors were allowed to get at the time -- dozens of miles away -- and stared at it from a distance. But, in the years that passed, the Spirit Lake Highway was rebuilt and opened all the way to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, five miles away from the crater.

It's still a strange, alien place, almost thirty years after the eruption. One thing I noticed while hiking was the large number of crickets. Why? Gradually, the realization hit me: there are no birds here. Even after almost three decades, there aren't anywhere near enough trees to support nesting birds. As a result, the only ones I saw were a pair of peregrine falcons out on a hunting trip. And, after years of visiting natural spots around the Pacific Northwest, it's unbelievably eerie to come to a place on a warm summer day and not hear bird-song. (Looking at the official websites, I understand that there actually are some bluebirds and sparrows in the area, but I sure didn't encounter any of them.)







A rock-decorated trailpost, with a view of the hills north of the mountain, showing the blown-down remains of old-growth trees from before 5/18/80.










And a panorama (those who want to see it in a larger size should go here and zoom it to 100%).

and shit was still burning. I was with the 9th Marines and we were helping with rescue and recovery operations. Mostly recovery. We blew up a a few log damns and such. I was like being on a different planet then, and it does not look much different now.
Amazing what nature can do.

You confirmed that.

I love stark landscapes, so thank you. I need to see it for myself.

Like it!

It's superb.