Mt St Helens… It’s Been 29 Years!
On this day 29 years ago I saw something that I’ll never forget. I was 10 years old and just sitting down to breakfast with my family. We had the television on and they broke in saying that Mt St Helens was finally blowing (she’d been teasing for a couple months). We instantly got up and ran out the front door to watch this happen live. What we saw was absolutely stunning.
Living here in Vancouver, WA we are less than 50 miles away so we had a front row seat to the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. If she had erupted in a southerly direction I might not be sitting here typing this message…
Since I was just a kid at the time, my recollection of May 18th, 1980 and the months that followed aren’t so serious. I recall watching the ash fall to the ground like snow (only grey and dirty). I remember what a great thing all the ash was for scooping with our Tonka trucks. I remember our parents letting us go out and play in it as long as we wore our masks. This still makes me laugh.
Unfortunately not everyone got to remember it through the eyes of being a 10 year old boy. To those who lost loved ones, homes, property and businesses my heart goes out to you. It was an absolutely insane time in our world here in SW Washington. Below is a video I found while looking for footage and it really touched my heart. I decided this was the one I needed to share today. I hope it touches you too.
Were you here? Did you see it? What do you remember? Please share your experiences and memories in the comments. Thank you.
About the Author | Dale Chumbley
- More posts by Dale Chumbley
Agent Profile
Dale Chumbley
360-260-3253 (Call or Text)
Previous
I remember all too well – and one of the things I remember is it took hours for those of us here to find out about it… we were heading to Woodburn to race and were turned around. I never saw the St. Helens after the blast – but my husband still talks about his visit there… My thoughts go to those that lost on this day in history – thanks Dale great reminder that nature is in control and we are guests here.
Dale, I so remember! It was a Sunday and I was driving from Walla Walla to Moses Lake – took several hours, ruined the motor in my Ford truck and when I arrived in Moses Lake we had about 3 inches of ash everywhere! I really need to scan those photos. I rode my bike to work for weeks, had a gf that had to move out of town for 6 months because her son had asthma. My then husband was a firefighter and so I was on my own for days at a time. We had to shovel it off the roofs of our homes because of weight. We didn't have power for several days – funny thing is my oldest son was born one year later on May 18th 1981! So guess that is another reason I remember!