Mount St. Helens
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Mount St. Helens Institute invite the public to join them this weekend as they commemorate the 35th anniversary of the volcano’s eruption.
Today was opening day of the Johnston Ridge Observatory overlooking the crater of Mount St. Helens.
But tomorrow, a unique and free of charge opportunity awaits with a series of 30-minute talks by people whose lives were forever altered by their experiences at Mount St. Helens.
The eruption eyewitness stories event takes place at the Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center, at 19,000 Spirit Lake Highway.
Photos and stories will describe the incredible events leading up to the catastrophic May 18, 1980 eruption and the massive landslide, lateral blast, mudflows and ash cloud that followed. Meet eruption eyewitnesses and leave with an autographed poster or book.
Visitors will hear from a group who stopped for a walk at the South Fork of the Toutle River and then as the lateral blast blew from the mountainside leapt into their truck and found themselves in a race for their lives, from a pair who were camping near Bear Meadows and captured amazing photographs of the collapsing north flank of the volcano and will hear readings from Richard Waitt, from his new book, “In the Path of Destruction: Eyewitness Chronicles of Mount St. Helens.” And more.
The series runs from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
On Monday, at the same location, another free series of talks features presentations by scientists describing their 35 years of discoveries at the volcano, and includes hands-on demonstrations.
The talks run from noon until 4 p.m.
The center opens at 10 a.m. on Monday, and at 10:30, forest service officials will hold a ceremony commemorating the 1980 eruption. They and invited guests will recall the events of 35 years ago and how Mount St. Helens transformed the landscape surrounding the volcano and their understanding of geologic processes and their influence on the world around us.
DIRECTIONS: The Science and Learning Center is located on state Route 504, 43 miles east of Interstate 5. Take exit 49 off Interstate 5 and head east on state Route 504 for 43 miles until you pass the turn-off for Johnston Ridge. Continue straight ahead a short distance past the turn-off and into the parking lot of the Science and Learning Center.
Also, continuing Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings are public memory gathering experiences in Portland, Vancouver and Longview.
Representatives from the Mount St. Helens Institute invite any and all to join them in sharing stories. They encourage folks to bring photos, scrapbooks, and other items to share.
There is a suggested donation of $5 per person. Food and beverages are available separately for purchase. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the speaker will begin at 6:30 p.m.. All ages are welcome except on Thursday in Longview, which is 21 and over only. Space is limited so arrive early.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Lucky Lab Beer Hall
1945 NW Quimby St, Portland
with Christine Colasurdo
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Loowit Brewing
507 Columbia St, Vancouver
with Susan Saul
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Hop -N- Grape Smokehouse Pub
924 15th Ave, Longview
with David Freece
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Believe it or not I was actually near the summit when the mountain erupted! I was scouting for a area to grow my marijuanna crops..I figured nobody would find it way up there. I never paid attention to the news, etc. so I never knew about the mountain was going to blow. It was indeed a miracle that I survived! It was a hell of ride going down that mountain, I will never forget that! I just never talked about this before because I feared being arrested
come on people-where were you when the mountain blew-I was 17, a senior in High School and was fishing a creek when the ash started falling from the sky
I remember being 9 years old living in tacoma when this happened. The ash plume was all the way into space as far as the eye could see. A sight one will never forget.