.
This is a great documentary short made not long after the eruption in 1980 – if you're from the Northwest it will make you proud.
In other news, I am old.
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See also: The Big Picture
Showing posts with label mount st helens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mount st helens. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, August 17, 2009
It's Cave Week at Pacific Standard
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On Sunday morning we hopped in my dad's Land Cruiser and drove down to Mount St. Helens National Monument to explore Ape Cave.
It was discovered in 1951 by Lawrence Johnson, who nearly drove his tractor into the bottom entrance, above.
His friend Harry Reese had three sons, members of a local outdoor exploration club called the Mount St. Helens Apes; they called the lava tube Ape Cave, and the name stuck.
After a short walk to the top of the tube, we made our way underground. Emily and I have been to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, which is gigantic, but feels a little less remote because all the tours are guided. Here you're on your own, save for the other explorers you pass along the way.
At over two miles in length, this is the longest known lava tube in the country. It's pitch black and a steady 42º inside.
If you go, be sure to bring a headlamp and a good flashlight. It's not a strenuous walk, but some scrambling is required as you pick your way over the rocks, so it's good to wear some stiff-soled shoes or hiking boots.
When we were done we stopped in at Cougar, WA for some provisions, and hit the road. It was a cool trip.
On Sunday morning we hopped in my dad's Land Cruiser and drove down to Mount St. Helens National Monument to explore Ape Cave.
It was discovered in 1951 by Lawrence Johnson, who nearly drove his tractor into the bottom entrance, above.
His friend Harry Reese had three sons, members of a local outdoor exploration club called the Mount St. Helens Apes; they called the lava tube Ape Cave, and the name stuck.
After a short walk to the top of the tube, we made our way underground. Emily and I have been to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, which is gigantic, but feels a little less remote because all the tours are guided. Here you're on your own, save for the other explorers you pass along the way.
At over two miles in length, this is the longest known lava tube in the country. It's pitch black and a steady 42º inside.
If you go, be sure to bring a headlamp and a good flashlight. It's not a strenuous walk, but some scrambling is required as you pick your way over the rocks, so it's good to wear some stiff-soled shoes or hiking boots.
When we were done we stopped in at Cougar, WA for some provisions, and hit the road. It was a cool trip.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Blue Turning Gray
Mount St. Helens erupted 28 years ago yesterday. I was nine at the time so I guess I didn't totally understand the magnitude of it, but I remember we got sent home from school early, and I remember hearing from my cousins that Aberdeen was covered in ash. My grandpa's cattle were also dusted over in Ellensburg—the ash blowing everywhere affected the entire Northwest. I saved a little vial of the stuff, I'm sure it's around here somewhere.
These black and white photos are by Frank Gohlke, and are collected in his excellent book Mount St. Helens, published by the Museum of Modern Art on the occasion of his exhibition at the museum in 2005.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Blue Turning Gray MP3Not long after Mount St. Helens erupted we got two kittens. Our first cat, Mama Kitty, had just died at the age of 19. To this day she still shares the title of Best Cat Ever with Betty Whiskers and Mr. Littlejeans. She was much older than us—my mom had gotten her some time in the sixties—and it always seemed like she was taking care of us. In this picture, taken a few years earlier, my brother returns the favor:
And here are the kittens. My brother and I named the gray one Toutle—after the color of the Toutle River, which they kept showing on the news, filled with ash from Mount St. Helens.
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