Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens, Aug. 13 & 14

Mt. Rainier, a towering, ice-clad volcano rising 14,411 ft. is strikingly beautiful. Remember the moments that take your breath away? This is definitely one of them. The cap of glacial ice that conceals all but a few crags and ridges makes it doubly impressive. Although the mountain is currently dormant, it is not extinct. It belongs to the class of exploding volcanoes, much like recently awakened Mt St. Helens, and one day could erupt in a similar manner. There are 35 miles of glaciers and is the largest single-peak glacial system in the contiguous U.S. 26 glaciers extend down the mountainside. The forests that cover go up 5000 ft. and how beautiful they are.
We saw wildflowers and meadows and the contrast to the masses of ice was striking. We then drove to Mt. St. Helens and how impressive that is! Until May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens was one of Washington's snowcapped crown jewels. Spirit Lake was the primary recreation center. At 8:32 a.m. an explosion of incredible force blew the top 1,313 ft. and much of the bulging north face off Mt. Helens, shot a dense plume of smoke and ash 80,000 ft. into the air and released a mile-wide avalanche that raised Spirit Lake by more than 200ft. and laid over forests as if they had been combed. Mud and logs surged down the Toutle and Cowlitz rivers, temporarily clogging the Columbia River shipping lanes with silt. The pull of ash turned morning into midnight as it fell, halting traffic for a hundred miles and covering parts of 3 states with a fine gray powder. In spite of this cataclysmic event, the area has renewed and is as beautiful as it once was. Forests have come back and a new wildlife system has evolved. I wish I had been here before the avalanche to compare the renewed life. Subtle episodes suggest the the volcano might not yet be ready for another extended nap. Seeing these 2 beautiful mountains in one day was, indeed, a lesson we will never forget.