Stuart CelarierMay 18

OTD 45 years ago, at 8:32 AM, Mt. St. Helens erupted, displacing a cubic mile of debris, killing 57 people, darkening skies, and raining ash on 11 states.

I was camping with my girlfriend about 150 miles away in the Three Sisters Wilderness and we heard the blast. We heard a second big boom as it echoed off Mt. Jefferson or Mt. Washington. We got back to Portland in the mid afternoon in time to see the huge plume of ash trailing off as far as the eye could see.

Where were you?

Show threadGreg JohnstonMay 18
@VisualStuart Was sitting in my living room watching TV, at the time lived in Montesano WA, maybe 60-70 miles away. Heard the boom, news came on that it had erupted, looked out the window and could see the giant plume. Couple weeks later, on June 1, we got ash fall from a secondary eruption, really fine-grained stuff I used for a couple years to clean my hands after working on my truck and boat. Have climbed the mountain three times since.
Show threadAnneMay 18
@GPJohnston @VisualStuart we visited Mt St Helens a couple of times in the last 15 years. It’s quite spectacular to see.
Show threadGreg JohnstonMay 18
@annecavicchi @VisualStuart It sure is. I just posted a photo taken during one of my climbs.
Show threadBob TregilusMay 18

@GPJohnston Impressive photo! Looks like it may be from those two skiers who were on a nearby peak? Cool that you heard it! There were almost 58 people killed. I had seriously planned a trip to St. Helens that week and had figured I could sneek into Spirit Lake to see what was going on. I was studying geology in NorCal at the time. But my boss needed me at work and wouldn't give me the time off. That was lucky!

@annecavicchi @VisualStuart

Show threadsollat
@elaterite @GPJohnston @annecavicchi @VisualStuart
My dad went to look at it a couple days before. Luckily.
May 19 at 2:52amWeb
Show threadBob TregilusMay 19
@sollat Wow, and then he left before the eruption? @GPJohnston @annecavicchi @VisualStuart
Show threadsollatMay 19
@elaterite @GPJohnston @annecavicchi @VisualStuart
Yeah, I don’t know exactly where he went to “look at it” but I know it didn’t look like anything to him. It was on TV in Seattle for a long time before it blew.