Wednesday, June 24. Now, Seattle is known for copious amounts of rain, however, recently, it has been in a bit of a drought. The weather forecast predicted 20% chance of rain. Unfazed, we set off for the Northern Cascades (route 20). The plan was to travel due north from Bremerton, cross Puget Sound on the Port Townsend Ferry. However, we never made it across the bridge which was 26 miles from the ferry. Traffic was at a stand still, so we turned around and headed south. With the sky overcast since dawn and a few sprinkles on the windshield, I decided a glance at the radar might be wise. The entire Olympic National Park was coverd in rain and moving east. It was clear to the south, so to the south we went and headed for Mt. St. Helens. Two and a half hours from our hotel, MSH was not on our original itinerary,
Approaching Mt. St. Helens from the west.
It is impossible to grasp the enormous size of the volcano because there is nothing on it that can be used for comparison.
Mt. St. Helens
A park volunteer allowed us to look through a high powered spotting scope to see a herd of elk. To the naked eye, the elk were not even visible specks in the lower right of the above photo just above the ravine. Detail, below.
Mt. St. Helens, detail
Still, the geologist in me was, once again, overwhelmed ... at the size of the volcano and the destruction of the eruption over 30 years ago. Although not a "classic" explosive volcanic eruption, the largest landslide in recorded history removed 1300 feet of height off its peak. MSH is not a stop on the road to somewhere else. One chooses to go there and for those who appreciate the amazing natural forces at work in the world, the trip is absolutely worth is.