My Mt St Helens Story
On the morning of May 18, 1980, I was fishing in a bass tournament on Silver Lake in Cowlitz County, Washington. These photos were taken by a fellow bass club member (I’m sorry I no longer know his name) and show my dad and me fishing about 30 minutes before the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and then of the ash cloud.
We were idling through the lily pads on our way back to the resort when we saw the initial eruption begin. We never heard a thing. Maybe the boat motor masked it, or maybe some strange acoustic effect carried the sound elsewhere.
When we reached the resort, it was total chaos. People were running around like the world was ending, loading campers, pulling boats out of the water, and trying to leave.
We heard the I-5 bridge over the Toutle River had been closed, so my dad figured we weren't going anywhere for a while. My cousin, my dad, and I motored over to a small store by the lake, bought some beer, then sat in the boat out in the middle of the lake watching the eruption unfold.
The ash cloud spread above us but never reached our area since most of it traveled east. The cloud blocked the morning sun, the temperature dropped, and lightning flashed inside the ash plume.
Eventually, we returned to the resort and learned the interstate had reopened. We packed up the boat and camper and headed home.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We went there hoping to maybe see a little steam rise from the mountain. Instead, we witnessed history.
Do you have a Mt St Helens story?