Windy Ridge Viewpoint: Windy Ridge is one of the best places to
get an overview of the area devastated by the 1980 eruption. The
landscape is littered with sand and gray rocks from that event.
Deposits of the debris avalanche are visible to the west. These
include the lower parts of The Spillover, where the debris
avalanche traveled up over Johnston Ridge and into the South
Coldwater area.
Spirit Lake is a lake north of Mount St. Helens in Washington
State. The lake was a popular tourist destination for many years
until the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Thousands of trees
were torn from the surrounding hillside after the lake was sloshed
800 feet up the hillside. Lahar and pyroclastic flow deposits from
the eruption blocked the North Fork Toutle River valley at its
outlet, raising the surface elevation of the lake by over 200 ft
(60 m). The newly raised lake was also 10 percent smaller and much
shallower.
After the eruption, Spirit Lake contained highly toxic water with
volcanic gases seeping up from the lake bed. A month after the
eruption, the lake was devoid of oxygen. Scientists predicted that
the lake would not recover quickly, but they were surprised when
three years after the Mount St. Helens eruption, Spirit Lake had
more biological activity than ever before. In 1993, scientists were
shocked to see fish in Spirit Lake.
However, the logs that were deposited in the lake during the Mount
St. Helens eruption still remain and cover a large portion of the
surface water. Even though the lake was devastated by Mount St.
Helens, it has rebounded significantly and is on the way to
recovery.
Before the eruption of Mount St. Helens, there were four camps on
the shore of Spirit Lake: a Boy Scout camp, a Girl Scout camp, a
YMCA camp, and another for the general public. There were also a
number of lodges catering to visitors, including Spirit Lake Lodge
and Mt. St. Helens Lodge; the latter was inhabited by Harry R.
Truman, who became one of the volcano's victims.
Harry Randall Truman (October 30, 1896 – May 18, 1980) came to
brief fame as a resident of the U.S. state of Washington who lived
near Mount St. Helens and died in its 1980 eruption after
stubbornly refusing to leave. He was the owner of Mount St. Helens
Lodge at Spirit Lake, not Spirit Lake Lodge as sometimes reported.
He was born in Wise, Virginia, but was a resident of Chehalis,
Washington. Truman joined the U.S. Navy and served in World War I
and survived the torpedoing of the Tuscania in February 1918 off
the coast of Ireland.
He became a minor celebrity during the two months of volcanic
activity preceding the eruption, giving interviews to reporters and
expressing his opinion that the danger from the volcano was
"overexaggerated". Harry seemed to shrug off all concerns about St.
Helens and his situation, at one point stating, "If the mountain
goes, I'm going with it." Indeed, he died in the blast, along with
56 other people, and his body was never found. He died at the age
of 83. The site of his former lodge is buried under 150 feet of
volcanic landslide debris, beneath the much raised bed of Spirit
Lake.
He was the subject of the book Truman of St. Helens: The Man &
His Mountain by Shirley Rosen. He was also portrayed by Art Carney
in the 1981 docu-drama film St. Helens. Harry once said "You can
move the mountain but I'm never coming down". The modern day Truman
Trail and Harry's Ridge in the Mount St. Helens region are named
after him.
To get credit for the earth cache find please post a picture of
yourself and Spirit Lake in the background.PHOTOS OF ONLY A HAND
AND GPS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED! Please answer the following
questions.
1. What is floating on top of the lake that was left behind by the
blast of St Helens?
2. What is the ground covered with all around Spirit Lake? (Its
volcano related)
| Cav Scout has earned GSA's highest
level |
 |
Why do I ask for a face
in the picture of the EarthCacher finding any of my EarthCaches? A
face shot is the same as a signature in a log book. Many geocachers
feel in order to get a find you must sign the log book, period.
EarthCaching is special and a human face is the same as a signature
in a log book. I do not accept hand shots (pictures of a hand with
GPS) because it does not show who’s really visiting the ECs I set
up for all to enjoy. Besides, there is no log book for you to sign
at a EarthCache.
For anyone who doesn’t
want to post a picture of their face, then log the find as a note
or don’t do it at all. Nobody is forcing anyone to come and visit
any of my EarthCaches. I could argue that signing a log at a
traditional cache is violating my personal rights because I have to
sign a piece of paper. Maybe someone will forge my signature and
steal my identity!
An argument that a photo
violates a persons identity is foolish. Geocaching is a social
activity. Eventually someone will meet you and know you are
geocaching. If you want to live a secretive life then geocaching is
not the place to do so. Cache on!
Do not log this
EC unless you have answered the questions and have a picture ready
to post! Logs with no photo of the actual cacher logging the find
or failure to answer questions or negative comments will result in
a log deletion without notice. Exceptions will be considered if you
contact me first (I realize sometimes we forget our cameras or the
batteries die). You must post a photo at the time of logging your
find. If your picture is not ready then wait until you have a
photo.
Sources of
information for the EarthCache quoted from the Cumberland National
Historic Park. I have used sources available to me by using google
search to get information for this earth cache. I am by no means a
geologist.. I use books, internet, and ask questions about geology
just like 99.9 percent of the geocachers who create these great
Earth Caches. I enjoy Earth Caches and want people to get out and
see what I see every time I go and explore this great place we live
in.