I used to hear stories from my parents about the day Mount St. Helens erupted. Ash covered their cars and the streets. The view from Portland was astounding.

As a kid, I was wowed by the Johnston Ridge Observatory and the amazing power of the eruption and subsequent lava flow.

Just last year, on my second attempt, I managed to summit the rim of the volcano and peer down into the depths of the crater created by the monumental blast. Speaking of monumental, that's what St. Helens and its surrounding 110,000 acres are today. In 1982, President Reagan signed a bill establishing the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Sadly, that was the first level of protection the area was ever afforded. And an astute eye can see the evidence in the many images that linger in the public imagination from the fateful eruption.

Doug Heiken sent along this collection of photos, most of them courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. Here was Doug's note and the picture he attached.

a reminder why the NWFP exists.
look at those clearcuts.

Photo by USGS.