Mt. Saint Helens watch.

[Moonliner]

I've been watching the Mt. Saint Helens web cam (http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/). Last week part of the lava dome collapsed and the experts say we could get an eruption soon.

From the web cam it looks like it just stared smoking in the last hour or two.

[Ghoulish Delight]

That's a lot of "approximately"s.

[wendybeth]

That's a lot of "approximately"s.

Approximately how many were there?

[Moonliner]

Do you mean there are exactly a lot of "approximately"s or approximately a lot of "approximately"s.?

In anycase, they are Scientists damnit not english majors. :)

[Prudence]

I've decided that St. Helens is to us like periodic earthquakes are to you CA folks.

"Did you hear that part of the lava dome collapsed?"
"Really? Hm. Say, do you think they'll trade Boone before the 10 days are up?"

Call us when it spews....

[Moonliner]

I take it that St. Helens is in your backyard so to speak? If so could you do me a favor and get it to hold off for a bit? I'll be passing through the Seattle airport on the 31st and I'd love to see it "spew". Thanks! :)

[Prudence]

I'll be sure to pass that along...

(Are you passing through the airport on your way to another flight? Because if you're planning to have a plane take off that day you may want to rethink your request...)

[Drince88]

I was just up on Johnston Ridge on the 7th and unfortunately, from that vantage point, we couldn't see into the dome due to the cloud layer. From what my brother-in-law found out when talking to the rangers when I was watching the movie, it hadn't been clear into the dome since the previous week, when he'd been there with his niece. We got down the mountain and I looked back, and the whole mountain was clear EXCEPT for a cloud between Johnston Ridge and the dome - kind of freaky looking.

And as far as it spewing - remember that Cascade volcanoes aren't the same as Hawaiian ones - they tend to build up pressure and then let loose with big explosions - none of that 'molten lava flow' stuff in the Northwest (see, I paid attention during the movie!) :D

[Jazzman]

We're planning a camping trip near the southwest side of the mountain this weekend. Hopefully we won't get Pompeii-ed while we're up there. I’ll take plenty of marshmallows just in case, though!

[Kels]

Jazzman are you going to the Yale Resevoir?

I was camping up in Cougar, WA over the weekend. (Cougar's about an hour outside of Vancouver.) Honestly I never realized how close I lived to the Mt. Not until we passed one of the observation stations on the way up. I will admit that the idea of the mt. blowing her top was in the back of my mind while I was there. :blush:

[sleepyjeff]

Jazzman are you going to the Yale Resevoir?

I was camping up in Cougar, WA over the weekend. (Cougar's about an hour outside of Vancouver.) Honestly I never realized how close I lived to the Mt. Not until we passed one of the observation stations on the way up. I will admit that the idea of the mt. blowing her top was in the back of my mind while I was there. :blush:

Yale Reservoir..........I played roller lacrosse there :D

[Jazzman]

Jazzman are you going to the Yale Resevoir?
We'll be heading up past Yale, up higher toward Blue lake. There's a sweet little spot by the creek up off the blue diamond trail that I love visiting. We'll probably stop in Cougar for food and whatnot. Even if we don't need anything, it's a tradition to stop at the general store and get something before continuing on.

If our spot's taken I also know of a few places around Merril lake that are good too, and if not there then June lake is awesome, but I'm betting that the trail there is still closed off. It's pretty much on St. Helens' foot, so I'm guessing that it's in the danger zone.