#OTD in 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted (or rather, exploded) most violently. I was nine years old and the tragedy of lost life escaped me. I just found it all absolutely fascinating. 42 years later, I was able to visit the place (albeit not long enough, of course) — and was just as fascinated by the recovering landscape.

Blog post with 8 photos:
https://www.alex-kunz.com/mount-saint-helens/

#MountSaintHelens #Volcano #OnThisDay #LandscapePhotography #MountStHelens #Loowit #Washington #Landscape #BlogPost #PhotoBlog

RE: https://mstdn.social/@History_of_Geology/116595671614863256

This is a great look at an event some of you are too young to remember. It was absolutely huge, and it awoke in me the fear that Mt. Rainier would do the same thing. Unconsciously, that might be why I never lived in Seattle, a truly lovely city we even spent our honeymoon in. #history #MountSaintHelens

(Cross-posted from my site, where there's a panoramic version of this photo to see: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/05/18/may-18th-2026-helen-girdled-in-venus-belt/)

On May 18th, 1980, at 8:32 AM, Mount Saint Helens erupted.  Thirty three years later, after moving to Washington State, I visited.

When I got to Washington in 2013 I made a point of getting out and exploring my new home as often as possible.  Mount Saint Helens was near the top of the list of places I wanted to see, and I got down to it in my first year.  After spending an enjoyable afternoon at the Cascades Volcano Observatory, reading up on the eruption, I walked a little ways down the nearby trail along Johnston Ridge.  My trip was well rewarded, treated to the mountain catching the last rays of the setting sun, and a gorgeous Belt of Venus along the horizon.  And thus the name of the photo, and today's post: Helen Girdled in Venus' Belt.

The panorama here was stitched from three separate photos.

Gear: Nikon D600, Nikon 24mm f1.4

#Photography #MountSaintHelens #LandscapePhotography #Nikon #NikonCreators

High altitude photography.

#photography #LandscapePhotography #pnw #cascades #MountSaintHelens #volcano

helens' new coat by manyfires

https://tmblr.co/Z7VXvxj8h0ddSq00

#mountain #mountains #washington #pnw #pacificnorthwest #mtsthelens #mountsainthelens #mountmargaretviaboundarytrail #mountmargaret #boundarytrail #landscape #fall #autumn #winter #snow #trail #hike #hiking #hikes #hikesof2024 #film #analog #hasselblad #hasselblad500cm #mediumformat #square #flickr #thingsdavidlikes

"43 Years Ago, Scientists Dropped Gophers Onto a Volcano. Today, They’re Tiny Heroes."

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a70780384/gophers-mount-st-helens-eruption/

"After the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens devastated the local environment, scientists set a few gophers loose on some patches of ground, hoping they would kick up bacteria and fungi.

That uncovered fungi … created a microbial community that allowed plant life to better obtain and retain nutrients."

#Washington #PNW #Wildlife #Gophers #Environment #MountSaintHelens

repose by manyfires

https://tmblr.co/Z7VXvximloVIeq00

#hikes #hiking #hikesof2024 #landscape #hike #washington #pnw #pacificnorthwest #film #analog #mountsthelens #mountsainthelens #mountain #valley #summer #lake #lakes #feet #self #selfportrait #innova6x9pinhole #lensless #pinhole #viewpoint #pandhandlelake #lakestrail211 #flickr #thingsdavidlikes

Keep Digging: How Some Scared Little Gophers Brought Mount St. Helens Back to Life

#Gopher #Gophers #MtStHelens #MountSaintHelens #MountStHelens #Volcano #Eruption

https://www.thestranger.com/climate-issue-2025/2025/04/03/79996804/keep-digging