30 Years Ago Today - Mt. St. Helens

[raloria]

Hard to believe it's been 30 years since Mt. St. Helens erupted early that Sunday morning. I was only 6 years old at the time and while I don't remember that day clearly, I still recall seeing all the coverage on TV about it, the pictures in the newspapers, and everyone talking about it. Soon after the initial blast we even got a light dusting of ash that covered our roses. I remember that quite clearly.

I wasn't fortunate enough to actually see St. Helens before she blew. I know her former glory only from photographs, but I've been kind of fascinated with the mountain ever since that fateful day. It changed Washington's landscape forever and made millions want to learn more about how volcanoes work.

I've gathered some videos and links together to commemorate that day.

This is long (23 min.), but a great little documentary.

I'll never forget seeing the footage that this local news channel cameraman got as he was caught in clouds of ash coming from the eruption. Frightening to say the least. He was very lucky to make it out alive.

The Big Picture from Boston.com: Mount St. Helens, 30 Years Ago Stunning photographs
The Oregonian: Harry R. Truman, folk hero of Mount St. Helens; plus photos from the Oregonian’s archive More amazing photos