When Mt. St. Helens in Washington state erupted on May 18, 1980, I was only 5 years old at the time. I hadn’t grasped the concept of a camera then. I have only the memory of watching the plume while standing along SE 10th Street near I-205 with my parents and family friends in Vancouver, Washington. I remember seeing Mt. St. Helens from the playground swing set before and after the eruption.
When I grew older, my fascination with Mt. St. Helens also grew. Every now and then throughout the 1980s, steam would emit from the chopped-top peak. The lava dome was building up. Then it went quiet for over a decade.
In the early 2000s, I returned to Mt. St. Helens. Sometimes I would visit Windy Ridge. Sometimes I would visit Johnston Ridge Observatory. At the time I was in my early stages of digital photography, so the volcano was a suitable subject.
On the morning of October 1, 2004, I headed up to Windy Ridge. I had a late start, so I planned to be up at Windy Ridge sometime around noon. A high noon sun isn’t the ideal light, but it’s also at a lower elevation in early fall. I had heard reports of earthquake swarms on the mountain over the past couple of weeks, but I dismissed it as Mt. St. Helens being Mt. St. Helens.
I’m driving up Forest Road 99 to Windy Ridge. Mt. St. Helens standing quietly and bare under the blue sky as I pass Cascade Peaks viewpoint. Windy Ridge is 6 miles driving distance away on a winding road along a baron landscape. The mountain drops out of view behind a hill. I cruise around another curve and the mountain pops into a view with a tiny white steam plume sprouting up from the volcano’s crater. I could not hit my brakes faster and grab my camera for a quick snap and keep moving to Windy Ridge.
I arrive at Windy Ridge. The plume now mixed with steam and ash grew bigger. I snap a few photos and then race up the steps to the top of the ridge for more photos. The mountain then stops venting. I spent a few minutes shooting some more photos until the U.S. Forest Service rangers evacuated the area and gather at Cascade Peaks.
Forest Service barricaded Road 99 at Cascade Peaks. I spent a couple of hours at Cascade Peaks until the rest of the crowd caught wind of the eruption and crowded at Cascade Peaks.
The weather conditions and my timing could have not been more perfect.