Mt St Helens

June 30, 2014
We drove to Seaquest State Park to serve as a base for visiting Mt St Helens. We drove into Castle Rock to check it out and do some shopping. Then back to camp in the woods.Tomorrow we spend the day exploring Mt St Helens.

July 1, 2014
After breakfast we drove the 50 miles to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The facility is very nice with several presentations on the history and eruption of Mt St Helens. In the crater you can see steam escaping from the earth.

There are still some trees in the area that show the power of the eruption. Others were cut down because they were so damaged by it.

One area just below the crater is called the pumice zone because of the amount of pumice left from the event. Days after the eruption elk were walking on the crusted pumice. Their hooves broke through in places which allowed rain to sit in the marks and promote vegetative growth. Scientists have found there are 26 different plants growing in the pumice zone because of the elks' digestive debris.
There are many hikes you can take to various areas of the monument. We did a little self tour and saw all we needed to see. Overall an awesome site.