Rick and Linda

We are now in the Pacific Time Zone – 2 hours behind the Midwest

Mount ST. Helen & Spirit Lake

Signs in Oregon:

You are crossing the 45^th Parallel – half way between the Equator and the North Pole.

Don’t pass snowplows on the right – this one has me worried!

August 23^rd – It took us almost two hours for our walk this morning – between picking and eating blackberries and talking to a guy down by the river. The Cowlitz River which is glacier fed from Mt. Rainer.

Last weekend before schools starts here so lots of activity everywhere – good day to stay home and catch up on laundry and cleaning. Yeah it sucks but it has to be done.

August 22^nd – We found evidence of the Elk that walked through camp but didn’t see them. We did see a deer with really small twin fauns.

Would have been Aunt Esther’s 98^th today…

Headed to the backside of Mt St Helen today. It was only 45 miles but mostly 20 to 30 MPH curves – so between that, the hikes we took it was almost a 6 hour trek.

Stops and hikes at:

1. The Miners car – the car is still there and the couple was among the 57 people who lost there lives that day in 1980.

2. Meta Lake where we found thousands of Western Toads on the Observation Pier on the edge of the lake – these were just beyond tadpole stage but a lot of the tadpoles were still in the water. Some of them stacked several inches deep in the sunny edges in the sun.

So,so true...

3. Independence Pass – a steep hike with a great first view of Spirit Lake and the 34+ year old log jam still floating on the surface of this 150 foot deep lake that is over 200 foot higher than its original shoreline. This was caused by being displace 800 feet up the mountain by debris from the volcanic blast and flowing back to a new base.

4. Harmony – similar view to Independence Pass.

5. Smith Creek – a 100 foot waterfall was here before but now it is below the lake.

6. Windy Ridge – as close as you can get. A hike including 435 steps and a quarter mile hike gets you a good view of the crater with steam or gasses still escaping. Two eruptions since 1980 have formed a new dome in the crater.