Mt. St. Helens 45 years ago today

[KayLR]

I know there aren't many here who live in the Pac NW, but some may remember this day clearly as I do. This morning I was kind of shocked to realize it's been 45 years since that Sunday morning my ex and I were having our morning coffee when we heard a loud noise and some time later seeing ash falling from the sky. We lived in Yakima then.

It was coming down so thickly that we could not see our neighbors' lights on in their windows. Most of what I remember now is talking with relatives down in SW Washington about the disruption of I-5 traffic due to flooding of the Toutle River and ash everywhere. And subsequent smaller "burps" that came later.

There was so much ash on the roads in Yakima that the city brought out their snowplows to scrape the streets. It wasn't good for cars' air intakes. Many people wore masks. The Yakima Valley is agricultural; much of the apple industry is there. I recall news stories wondering how the ash would affect the crops and sales.

The most poignant thought I had this morning was realizing that our first daughter was born the following spring---and she's 44 years old! Somehow I just hadn't really realized how old she is now! Shock to my system.

Anyone else have volcano memories?

[Tradd]

I was growing up in Michigan at the time. I was about 11. A relative lived in an area that got ash fall. He actually mailed us a small jar of ash. It lived in a kitchen cupboard at least until when I moved to the Chicago area in 1996!

[Tybee]

That is so interesting, Kay, especially the loud noise part! I have no experience with volcanoes or ash but that is really cool to get your account. I just can't imagine. I remember the event, but did not realize that ash was everywhere like that.

[nswef]

Thank you Kay for the memory. I remember it happening (I was teaching then) and the snow plows. Being in Maryland we were not affected but definitely interested. Do you remember if it affected the apple crop that year or in subsequent years?

[ToomuchStuff]

Had a gal that worked for us, who they rented a house in the woods pretty close to it (less then 6 miles from memory). She was a kid, and her dad got up that morning, looked out the window and saw it smoking and yelled, "hey, we are moving".
She had a jar of ash they kept from it.
I just remember seeing all the pictures of it, in science class, and they talked about how the photographer lost his life, getting everything setup to get some of the science stuff about it.

[KayLR]

Had a gal that worked for us, who they rented a house in the woods pretty close to it (less then 6 miles from memory). She was a kid, and her dad got up that morning, looked out the window and saw it smoking and yelled, "hey, we are moving".
She had a jar of ash they kept from it.
I just remember seeing all the pictures of it, in science class, and they talked about how the photographer lost his life, getting everything setup to get some of the science stuff about it.

Yes, the photographer was Reid Blackburn. I worked at the same newspaper he did (later) and his widow still worked there. She never remarried.

I'm surprised your friends were that close and not told to evacuate by then. I think that would've been the Red Zone and anyone in it would've been warned to get out. There had been quake activity for some time.

[KayLR]

Thank you Kay for the memory. I remember it happening (I was teaching then) and the snow plows. Being in Maryland we were not affected but definitely interested. Do you remember if it affected the apple crop that year or in subsequent years?

All I clearly remember is that they were concerned about the ash fall impeding photosynthesis and it probably did to some extent. The wheat hay, and alfalfa crops were heavily damaged due to the weight of it, and it couldn't be sold for feed contaminated like that anyway.

[KayLR]

One other note, there are places along I-5 in SW WA with banks of ash that were built up by DOT in the cleanup. They're covered with grass now and just look like earth contours that have always been there. There's an entire golf course which was built on scraped up & spread out ash.

[catherine]

Thank you for your memories of that day! Being on the opposite coast, my only association of it is the coverage by the news media. As Tybee said, it's really interesting to get a first-hander's account of major events like this! I agree that it doesn't seem possible that it was 45 years ago. My kids were very young then as well--I only had 2 of the 4 and they were basically babies.

[happystuff]

Ditto catherine. I only know what I saw on the news. Can't imagine being up close.