In late March of 1980, Mt. St. Helens came alive after a long slumber.
Previous eruptions in past centuries had created a beautiful, symmetrical
mountain. Little did I realize how dramatic the mountain's transformation,
or should I say destruction, would be. This photo gallery provides
photos of the early eruptions, of the symmetrical mountain that
no longer exists. The next photo gallery, Mt.
St. Helens Destruction, features photos of the destruction wrought
by the May 18, 1980 eruption.
In
this early morning view from the west, a lenticular cloud surrounding
the peak is crowned with a small steam eruption. For two days, April
2 and 3, I photographed the early eruptions of Mt. St. Helens. Then
the clouds covered the mountain, the vent sealed, and the pressure
started building until the famous eruption of May 18 decapitated
the peak.
The following four images are a series taken during
one eruption, on the afternoon
of April 3, 1980. The viewpoint is near Cougar, Washington,
southwest of the peak along Highway 503.