Tuesday, May 18, 2010

30 years ago today...

A repost of my May 18, 2005 entry:


Twenty-five years ago, at 8:32 AM PDT on May 18, 1980, a 5.1 earthquake caused the north face of Mt. St. Helens to crumble in the largest landslide in recorded history. As a result of this landslide, the pressure that had built up inside the volcano caused a lateral blast of volcanic gases, steam, ash and rocks that flattened hundreds of square miles of timber, destroying virtually anything in its path.

sthelensanim
These images were captured by a camper about 10 miles to the northeast of the mountain.

It spewed ash tens of miles into the sky, turning a bright, sunny day into night, and causing all sorts of problems. As far away as Montana, the ash fell. State government in MT closed for a couple of days. And they barely got a dusting. While the ash that fell in eastern WA measured in the 2" range, northern Idaho actually bore a significant brunt of the ashfall, with some areas receiving up to 5". I was just finishing my first year of teaching there.

Volcano Girl and I were on our way to Spokane, WA, to see jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in concert. We had heard that the volcano had erupted, but didn't think anything of it. I could write dozens of pages of stories from that day. The short story--by the time that we realized that the snow-like flakes that were falling wasn't snow, and that virtually EVERYTHING was canceled, it was too late to turn around. The nice highway patrolman told us that we'd never make it home before the visibility was zero, and that we should go on into Spokane, and find a place to stay. I think we got the last room in town. VG and I had never even dated before this, and now we're checked into a motel with a single bed. We drove around to find the essentials--toothbrush, maybe a t-shirt for her, something to eat/drink. Unfortunately, it was a ghost town. Everything was locked up, ash was piling up, and she was a little scared. We finally found a place open, got our stuff, and went back to the room to watch everything on TV. And she called home. It took about an hour to get a line. I talked to her dad, who told me not to worry about getting her home right away if it was going to be dangerous to drive. I'm not sure, but I think I heard the distinct sound of a shotgun in the background. I contacted my superintendent to tell him I was stuck in Spokane and wouldn't be in to teach the next morning. He replied that school was cancelled for the week. Excellent!







This series of pictures show the mountain from about 5 miles away, NNW. It is near the site of the Johnson Ridge Observatory that opened about 8 years ago. If you want to see more about it, go here for facts and information, or go check the live volcanocam site.

I behaved myself that fateful night. But I fell in love. Hard. VG was my first true love. We lasted a couple of years, then grew apart. But we have remained friends since then. As well as the rest of her family. The whole week remains vivid in my mind. Every detail, every picture, every emotion. I note the passage of time by the date of May 18th. The first of my sisters was married on May 18th (VG came to that wedding too). Two of my former students were married on that day. Another former student had her first child on that day. It's become a mystical day. It's the day I really first fell in love.

Ooh! New this year! Check it out!

7 comments:

heelsnstocking said...

wow a lush story, thanks for sharing, im off to find a volcanic ash cloud (lots here at the minute, flights are grounded again)

Cheeky Minx said...

Even though the damage done by the volcano is heartbreaking (even this far down the track), this is such beautiful post. I'm an easy mark for a good love story... (sigh)

And I laughed out loud when I read, "but I think I heard the distinct sound of a shotgun in the background"! xx

Anonymous said...

It's my only child's birthday as well. The child I gave up for adoption...he probably doesn't realize that I think of him every day. He is 27 years old today.

Ms Scarlett said...

What a great story.... I remember (vaguely - I was 11!) when it happened, and it is the first real big natural catastrophe that stands out in my memory. We got ash all the way up where I live too!

Lovely post...

XO

Emmy said...

Great story!
While I have vague memories of it as a kid, I have become fascinated by it as an adult living so close to MSH.

My husband's parents however recall the event vividly - and were reminded constantly because he wrote his name in ash on their car not understanding that he was actually carving his name into the body. :)

I DO love your story of the day though! And I'm impressed you were such a good boy :)

Summer said...

What a cool story! I knew this happened in 1980 (have a thing for remembering the years of events) but didn't know the actual day.

I can't believe you behaved yourself! :)

Jen Fooled Around said...

I agree.. great story...

Those of us on the east coast had no idea how it closed down the west coast.. at least, you found love for a brief time .. so sweet!