volcanic release

volcanic release, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Mt St Helens releasing small amounts of steam and gases on Sunday afternoon while we hiked Independence Pass

siblings in the blast zone

siblings in the blast zone, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

hiking with Jess and Nick on Mt St Helens from Independence Pass.

It's really amazing to see the patterns of the trees blown down from the eruption.

sweltering in the snow

sweltering in the snow, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Jess coming down a small snowfield on Mt St Helens.

It was insanely warm and we used the snow to prevent heatstroke.

more trees than my eyes can count

more trees than my eyes can count, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

an unbelievable number of logs floating in Spirit Lake on the north side of Mt St Helens. This is just a close up (everything being relative) of a small portion of the huge floating mass of logs

snacks on the edge

snacks on the edge, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

While hiking from Independence Pass we stopped to eat and rest at a crazy viewpoint above Spirit Lake on Mt St Helens.

Nick on a blasted tree

the edge of the watery forest

the edge of the watery forest, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

there's an INSANE numbers of logs floating in Spirit Lake...they ended up there after the 1980 eruption stripped the area of all the forests and Spirit Lake itself washed up on to the cliffs in a massive wave.

I highly recommend the hike from Independence Pass to the viewpoint above the lake. amazing sights

snowball to the jugular

snowball to the jugular, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Our Sunday hikes were SCORCHERS. The Northwest is in the midst of a heatwave and at 4000 feet up Mt St Helens it may have been slightly cooler (it was 101 in Portland) but the sun was even stronger.

what once was a forest

what once was a forest, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

now floats in Spirit Lake.

millions of logs bleached by the sun have been floating and drifting about for 26 years since the eruption of Mt St Helens

trail loss

trail loss, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

a few times the trail was totally overtaken by snowfields hanging on in the hot hot heat.

thank goodness for that snow or else we all would have passed out from the heat.

sunburns all around

the new with the old

the new with the old, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

new trees rising up from the blown down deadwood from the 1980 eruption on Mt St Helens.

Spirit Lake shining blue in the hot hot sun

crater gray

crater gray, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Mt St Helens as seen from the Windy Ridge Viewpoint. whoa

white shores of wood

white shores of wood, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Spirit Lake on Mt St Helens...4 miles from the crater and the lake was devasted in the 1980 eruption. It is still filled with millions of bleached logs floating on the surface. 26 years ago these were the trees of the forest that surrounded Spirit Lake

cool down

cool down, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

the freezing water coming over Harmony Falls was wonderful to cool our water and ourselves. It was a scorcher on the mountain (and everywhere in the Northwest).

Jess on Mt St Helens

blasted

blasted, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

trees blasted down from the 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens.

a great hike to Harmony Falls which was severely changed by the eruption

two girls and one volcano

two girls and one volcano, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

My friend Jess & I at the top of the Windy Ridge Viewpoint on Mt St Helens. A fantastic Sunday...

photo by Jess' brother, Nick

revegetation in progress

revegetation in progress, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

looks kinda slow going in this area. Some areas have recovered better than others. This spot on Windy Ridge was blasted severely in the 1980 eruption and has yet to make a comeback

my morning volcano

my morning volcano, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

climbing to the Windy Ridge Viewpoint offers increasingly better views into the crater of Mt St Helens

ballistics

ballistics, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

These were trees before the 1980 eruption. 26 years later they are bleached white from the blazing summer sun and heavy winter snow.

A recent description of the hazards of climbing Mt St Helens listed ballistics, ash fall, and rocks hurled from the crater. Currently permits have not been offered for this climbing season due to the recent activity in/on the volcano

mt adams says hello

mt adams says hello, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

as we climb to the Windy Ridge Viewpoint on Mt St Helens we could see Mt Adams, Mt Hood & Mt Rainier.

indian paintbrush & other wildflowers are starting to thrive in the blast zone from the 1980 eruption

I never knew it was so blue

I never knew it was so blue, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Spirit Lake on Mt St Helens in the blast zone. The wildflowers are starting to grow on the pumice-strewn hillsides that were totally stripped from the 1980 eruption.

windy ridge walk

windy ridge walk, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

if you drive all the way up to Windy Ridge on Mt St Helens you MUST climb this crazy staircase for an amazing view into the crater of the volcano

we've entered the blast zone

we've entered the blast zone, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

a miner's car crushed in the 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens. We're still many miles from the crater but have entered the blast zone which reached 17 miles from the crater.

The miner who this car belonged to was killed along with his wife in a nearby cabin during the eruption. It blew on a Sunday. If it had been Monday the mountain would have been filled with loggers and many more people would have died.

water source

water source, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

the tap for water in our campground was in this crazy grove of incredibly mossy trees.

iron creek score

iron creek score, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

We had secluded campsite at Iron Creek Campground on Mt St Helens. The Cispus River ran past our site and was wonderful!

I camped with my friend Jess and her brother, Nick. My first weekend of summer I belong in a tent for sure!

cold feet

cold feet, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Nick sitting in the Cispus River, my chair to the left.

Along with my friend Jess (Nick's sister) we camped at Iron Creek on Mt St Helens. After an 8 mile hike the cold water felt great.

relaxing in the river

relaxing in the river, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

after our long hike to nowhere we went back to our camp site, brought our chairs down to the cold, cold Cispus River and sat with our feet on big rocks in the water.

The kids were crazy to be swimming in this snowmelt. It was COLD even though it was HOT outside. cold beers and good friends...

a hike to a snowfield

a hike to a snowfield, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

So basically we hiked 8 miles to look at some dirty snow. The Avalanche Lilies were blooming though and there were a few nice view of Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens but still...

carolyn curses

carolyn curses, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Forest Road 99 was inexplicably closed, thwarting our attempts to hike in the area of Windy Ridge, way up on the northeast side of Mt St Helens.

Sunday morning we would drive an alternate route up to Windy Ridge (one lane crazy Forest Road 26) and by Sunday afternoon the gate on Forest Road 99 was open.

volcano!

Hello everyone!

I had a wonderful weekend camping and hiking up on Mt St Helens. Friday afternoon Jess and her brother Nick came over to my house and we finished packing up the car and hit the road. After backtracking down some Forest Service roads (vague directions in the woods are not useful) we arrived at our camp site at the Iron Creek campground in the evening. I was happy to find the place pretty well deserted and our site was nicely secluded and right along the Cispus River. We set up our tents and started a fire to get some coals going to cook our dinner over. We had bbq chicken, cheesy potatoes and zucchini all cooked in foil over the fire. We drank some beers and talked around the campfire. When it finally became dark there were zillions of stars. We watched some satellites zip by while the sound of the river flowed by in the darkness. We went to bed and I slept very well in my tent.

It was so wonderful to wake up Saturday morning and see out the tent window blue sky through the mossy trees. It was the beginning of a heat wave in the Northwest so there were no morning clouds to start the day. Nick made us fabulous pancakes for breakfast. They were definitely the best pancakes I’ve ever had while camping. We packed up some lunches and our daypacks and piled in the car to head for our hike. We drove about 20 minutes down a major Forest Service road then turned to go up to Windy Ridge. We were supremely irritated to find the main road to Windy Ridge was gated shut. Windy Ridge is one of three major observatories on the north side of Mt St Helens and both Johnston Ridge & Coldwater have been opened for over a month with one of them being at a higher elevation than Windy Ridge. Oh I was annoyed! There were lots of other people in the same predicament and the nearby sno-park parking lot was full of motorcylists and other people in search of a good Mt St Helens view who were all out of look. We drove back a ways and stopped to look at Iron Creek Falls and to decided what we were going to do with our day instead. We consulted our hiking book and found another hike further up the road. We were disappointed though because we wouldn’t be looking down into the crater of the volcano and hiking in the blast zone which was the whole point of camping on this furthest side of Mt St Helens.

The trail to Badger Lake was strewn was pumice (courtesy of that volcano we couldn’t see). It was pretty thick forest with steady elevation gain. The avalanche lilies were blooming as were the trilliums (which bloomed in Portland a good 3 months ago). We caught a few good views of the side of Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier to the north. The trail had clearly not been used this season yet as there were many downed trees across the path. We were within a quarter mile of the lake when suddenly we were in a snowfield and our trail lost under 3-4 feet of snow. We scouted around for a bit hoping to find it but keeping track of where we had come from so as to not be lost. The terrain was too steep, the snow too thick and the trail was just gone. We couldn’t find the lake and turned around defeated. We stopped to eat lunch on a log next to some snow and laughed that we had just hiked to nowhere. We hightailed it out of there wanting to get back to the comforts of our campsite. Back at the car it was scorching hot out. It was a quick drive back to the campground. We grabbed beers and snacks and pulled our camping chairs into the river where we sat with our feet in the freezing cold water. Our Saturday hike was indeed a bust…8 miles to look a snowfield. We cursed that stupid gate and plotted our return attack for the next day. We had stopped to buy fire wood from the camp host and I told her that road 99 to Windy Ridge was gated shut. On the map she showed me another Forest Service road that would also go to Windy Ridge. The map indicated the road was closed for repairs but she said other campers had gone up it earlier that day and had made it all the way to Windy Ridge. We agreed to try that road on Sunday morning.

We stayed down on the river until the late fell below the trees and then Nick started our fire. Jess and Nick prepared dinner of pork chops, corn on the cob and veggies cooked in foil. It was a fantastic meal and was topped off smores. None of us lasted very long as we were tired from our long hike to nowhere. We went to bed and woke up excited to get closer to that volcano. We made our way up Forest Road 26 which was mostly one lane on the side of a cliff. The views were incredible and we encountered mainly bicylists on the road with no other cars. It was quite obvious when you entered the blast zone as suddenly there was no forest anymore, or at least not a standing one. All the trees were flattened and splintered and destroyed. We stopped at the Miner’s Car viewpoint where there is a car that was crushed in the eruption. The miner and his wife were killed in their nearby cabin. This was still many, many miles from the crater. The destruction was massive.

We drove until the road ended at the Windy Ridge Viewpoint. There is a windy flight of stairs to the top of a nearby hill that you absolutely must climb if you’ve driven all this way. There is a small hill that slightly obscures the crater and as you walk up the hill the view becomes better and better. We could see Mt Adams to the east, Mt Hood to the south and Mt Rainier to the north, looming at the end of Spirit Lake. There were wildflowers growing amongst the piles of pumice and ash and blasted trees. The view into the crater is phenomenal. It was a perfectly clear day without a cloud in the sky. We marveled at the crater and looked down at Spirit Lake and it’s floating mass of logs. We got lots of hiking in around Spirit Lake so I’ll talk about that more later. We hiked back down to the car and drove a short ways down the road to the Harmony Falls Viewpoint. We hiked downhill through an area with many young alder trees growing. This created some welcome bits of shade as it was really getting hot out. The cliffsides around us were all covered in blasted trees and were just barely to begin regrowth. We walked across a pumice-filled plain and looked at the gaping crating aimed right down at us. This was certainly a bad place to be when the mountain blew. We reached the shore of Spirit Lake. The lake was severely changed by the eruption. It’s 4 miles from the crater and took a direct hit from the pyroclastic flows and the massive landslide. A huge wave sloshed 800 feet up the surrounding cliffs. You can see the waterline far up on the walls. A portion of the lake is filled with millions of floating logs. These are the trees that used to be the old growth forest that surrounded Spirit Lake. They’ve been floating around for 26 years and have been bleached white in the sun. We got right down to the shore line and stuck our hands in the water. It was surprisingly warm and we definitely considered jumping in for a swim despite the many signs telling us not to. We hiked back to Harmony Falls which was also drastically changed by the eruption and now is a very minor waterfall. It is water though in a very dry place and we welcomed it’s freezing snowmelt water. We found a tiny bit of shade from a shrub growing along the water and we relaxed to eat lunch. After eating we braved the hot hot sun to return UPHILL to our car. It was rough going. At the very start of the trail we had to climb across a patch of snow. We all grab fistfuls of snow and rubbed it all over our heads, our arms, our necks. The snow was a godsend and would continue to give us relief throughout the afternoon. Before we left a couple stopped at the viewpoint. We had seen only a few other cars up there that morning and these didn't look like people that would drive up freaky forest road 26. I asked them what road they came up and they replied "99". Apparently enough people complained and the Forest Service sent someone out to ungate the damn road. It would help shorten our long drive back home.

We left Harmony Falls and drove another short distance down the road to Independence Pass. This hike took us across blasted hillsides with trees just beginning to get going again. We crossed several snowfields which we pilfered snowballs from each time. We seriously would have gotten heat stroke were it not for the snow. We wouldn’t have been able to hike at all as it was so blazing hot and the lack of trees makes for a hot hot hike with absolutely no shade. We ended up at a viewpoint on the north end of Spirit Lake. We were about 1000 feet above the lake. I was totally amazed by the huge floating log mass. It’s impossible to explain how vast it was. The crater of Mt St Helens loomed at the south side of the lake. We ate some snacks and marveled at our surroundings. As we hiked back the mountain released small amounts of steam and gases. Make no mistake, Mt St Helens is still a very active volcano though they don’t expect any eruptions like the 1980 event anytime soon. She is rebuilding her lava dome though and is rather quickly filling in the massive crater left the major explosion. Less than a month ago the mountain sent up a steam and ash cloud 16,000 feet into the air. I would have been amazed and bit frightened to see such an event from our vantage point. I’ll take the small steam bursts thanks. We reached the trailhead and rested in the shade for a bit before getting in the car for the long ride back to Portland. Back home it was insanely hot (101 degrees on Sunday). Monday would get up to 102 and was the hottest June day in Portland EVER. Today is expected to top out at 90 degrees and then the 80’s for the rest of the week. Thankfully I have a friend with a pool. Sweet relief!

So that was my weekend up on the volcano. I’ll be very late with next week’s posting as I’m going up to Blaine/Bellingham/Vancouver BC with my sister and won’t be back in town until late Tuesday. Please let me know how you are and what you’ve been up to! I hope all is well!

Xoxo,
carolyn

the resurrection of ping pong

the resurrection of ping pong, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Ping pong has returned to my friends' basement! I love it and I missed it! I beat Elaine on my first game in a long, long time. Now to beat Dave who gets to me with his constant shit-talking.

yeah for summer ping pong in the cool basement

the protector of the pond

the protector of the pond, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

My Dad. yes, it's blurry. yes, it's a photo of a photo (original taken by my sister in 1991 perhaps) but this is one my favorite pictures of my dad. We've always called him the protector of the pond. This is from when my parents were first putting it in. They had it for years, got rid of it then put it back in a few years back. My parents' yard isn't the same without this pond.

I talked on the telly with dad Sunday morning. I wish I could spend Father's Day with him. I wish I could spend many more days with him. I miss my parents. Oregon to Wisconsin is a long ways

saturday sets

saturday sets, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

I went to a going away party at a friend's house in Multnomah Village in Portland. Bryan and his wife Christina along with their two children are moving to Issaquah, Washington. I really enjoy playing frisbee golf with him. He calls me "Lina" short for "Carolina" which is *almost* my name. I will miss him.

looking west towards the Coast Range from their double decker balcony. what a view!

straighten up

straighten up, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

the lower reservoir at Mt Tabor Park in Portland. Saturday louging in the sunny park.

belly full of berries

belly full of berries, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

raspberries from my backyard. I ate them all. Then Saturday I went to Uncle Paul's Produce Market on Hawthorne and bought 2 pints of Hood Strawberries, picked locally at 5 am this morning while I was sleeping away. sweet and juicy and freaky good. Long live Oregon berry season! Tis truly a wonderful thing!

and Friday I also got a pound of Washington bing cherries. I'm in heaven.

shrubs for smurfs

shrubs for smurfs, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

an amusing hedge in the neighborhood on the east side of Mt Tabor.

Portland is full of beautiful gardens. Even the abandoned meth houses have lovely roses and huge rhododendrons.

satisfying curves

satisfying curves, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Upper reservoir at Mt Tabor Park. I love this place.

a rare weekend at home

Hello everyone!

I had a very nice relaxing weekend at home. I haven’t had a weekend in Portland in a month and I’m outta town every weekend until mid-August so I was really looking forward to being home! I left work early Friday afternoon to get my teeth cleaned. My teeth are good and that’s always welcome news. I did some shopping at Trader Joes and stopped by Mt Tabor Park and then went to see Elaine. She was swamped with work so I went home. I watched Garden State then read outside in my sunny backyard. I picked all the ripe raspberries and ate them all. Camille, my roommate, has left on a three week road trip so it’s nice to have the house (and all the berries!) to myself. Later I watched Y Tu Mama Tambien before going to bed early.

I woke up Saturday and watched Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic and Transamerica. I worked out in my garden for a while pulling weeds and re-potting some plants. I was craving some Oregon strawberries which have a short little season of juicy, sweet perfection. I drove to Uncle Paul’s Produce Market on Hawthorne and bought a couple pints. At Mt Tabor Park I laid in the sun and listened to music on my headphones and ate almost a whole pint of strawberries. Yummm! I read my book for a while then stopped by Elaine & Gina’s to get my pictures off the camera. I went home to cook up some late lunch for myself and chatted on the phone with Nandita for awhile. At five I met up with Alex at Dot’s for a few drinks. It was really great to see him and I’ll be sad if he leaves Portland due to his job search.

I left Dot’s to meet up with everyone at Elaine & Gina’s house as we were carpooling to a going-away party on the west side of Portland. Our friend Bryan, a great frisbee golfer, is moving with his wife and their two kids to Issaquah, Washington. There house in Multnomah Village sold quickly. Given it’s crazy sunset views towards the Coast Range I could see why. I had a great time talking with friends and hovering over the veggie tray and the always phenomenal Hilbert hummus. I caught a ride home with Erin and Terry around midnight as I was a sleepy girl.

Sunday morning I watched Big Fish and ate some breakfast before calling my dad in Wisconsin. I talked to my mom for a bit and my dad. I really hate being so far away from them. It really is a long ways from Oregon to Wisconsin. I made myself some lunch then rode my bike over to Elaine & Gina’s house. Elaine recently bought a new ping pong table and the guys were setting up in the basement. I’m so excited for the return of ping pong! I played just one game but I beat Elaine so that’s always satisfying. She is working on her forearm though since she and Gina joined a ping pong league! I helped the girls do some prep work for dinner as their parents were coming over for dinner. Pork chops with acorn squash and apples along with a huge salad and steamed broccoli. It was a delicious meal and was topped off with strawberry shortcake for dessert. Oh so full! I hung out for a while after dinner and we played some cards before I had to take off. I rode my bike home then drove downtown to Berbati’s Pan where I met up with Jess and her boyfriend, Mike. We saw Tapes n’ Tapes, a great band from Minneapolis. The show was lots of fun and the band sounded great. It was a late Sunday night for me though as I got home right around 1 am. Sleep came quickly.

So that was my weekend. I leave this Friday afternoon to go camping on the northeast side of Mt St Helens with Jess and her brother. I’m really looking forward to doing some good hikes up there and hope that the mountain won’t be hiding in the clouds the whole time we’re up there. Burn clouds burn!

Please let me know how you are and what you’ve been up to!

xoxoxo,
carolyn

as I leave one mountain I am greeted by another

as I leave one mountain I am greeted by another, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

coming down from Mt Adams reveals some great views of Mt Hood. I am in Washington looking south to Oregon.

rock fall scramble

rock fall scramble, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

In the Cheese Cave in Trout Lake, Washington there were only a few spot where we had to climb over rockfall. Mostly the ground was fairly level but that lava rock really tears your shoes apart

lava rock

lava rock, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

strange rocks in the Cheese Cave near Trout Lake Washington.

formed 20,000 years ago by a basalt lava flow

to the cheese house via the cheese cave

to the cheese house via the cheese cave, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

all of sudden there was a gigantic staircase in the Cheese Cave. it goes up to a big A-frame house in the woods called the Cheese House and dates back to when the cave was actually used for food storage.

the door at the top of the stairs was locked.

no more cheese

no more cheese, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

in the Cheese Cave near Trout Lake, Washington.

the constant cool temperatures made it ideal for food storage. These collapsed old shelves once held cheese. Nearby is also the Meat Cave and the Potato Cave. The whole area is riddled with caves and lava tubes.

They are tons of fun to explore.

the cold poured forth

the cold poured forth, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

the entrance to the humongous Cheese Cave near Trout Lake, Washington.

You could feel the cold air pouring out of the ground. This is why the caves were used for food storage.

daisy thicket

daisy thicket, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

The daisies have exploded up on the frisbee golf course in Trout Lake.

oh so lovely

winter ale for a summer day

winter ale for a summer day, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

I chose a Powder Horn Winter Ale out of the lovely beverage selection in Jim's cooler. See previous photo for hilarious delivery method. An unexpected beer

I was basking among the daisies and looking for wild strawberries but none quite yet.

welcome wagon

welcome wagon, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

How random...Jim driving around in a chopped off Subura on the local frisbee golf course with a cooler in back full of cold drinks for golfers out on the course. He gave me a beer and Joseph a seltzer. I walked around while Joseph tossed a few discs and I took pictures of the daisy meadows which are in their full glory right now.

Trout Lake is paradise.

looking at my life

looking at my life, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

I crawled up on a huge stump in the back of the Trout Lake Country Inn to look at the mountain above the neighbor's enormous fence. When I went to climb down I noticed this huge reflective window on the Inn. The window distorts everything but I still liked the reflections.

Me and Mt Adams with some morning clouds. I wish I was there right now.

my morning dose

my morning dose, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

of Sleeping Beauty and the field of daisies behind the Inn. Sunday morning gorgeousness.

Trout Lake, Washington

cross-eyed rosie

cross-eyed rosie, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

My friend Lincoln plays mandolin in an amazing bluegrass band called Cross-Eyed Rosie. This was their first time playing up in Trout Lake. I hope they come back. The crowd loved them.

7 song bullet

7 song bullet, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

My friend Dave Clarke was thrilled to open for Cross-Eyed Rosie at the Trout Lake Country Inn. He played seven songs, each one a peach. They nailed it.

Steve on mandolin, Dave on guitar, Eric on banjo and Wampler on accordion

adams times two

adams times two, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Mt Adams reflected in Trout Lake. how I love this mountain!
12326 feet high...immeasurable beauty

sweet and lovely

sweet and lovely, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

the good light on Mt Adams as the sun sets Saturday night