Mt. St. Helens Exploration- September 2014

 It was National Park Fee Free Day!  We took our friend Celebrity to see Mt. St. Helens for the first time and hike along the Johnson Ridge trail.  Analise had just turned two years old.

Gil came along this time to enjoy this natural wonder.

There were a few clouds but overlooking the mountain was beautiful.

Overlooking the area where mud and lava flowed.

Taking a bench break to take in the view.

Gil took a turn with the heavy pack.

We enjoyed the first course of lunch.

Amy was sure to point out all the posts to let us know we were on the right track.

We enjoyed the view into the crater.

There is a little bit of permanent snow and an ever changing lava dome.

We spent some time enjoying the view.

Spirit Lake loomed large below us.

The log jam was cool!

Analise got to wiggle just a little but was mostly confined to the backpack.

The crater and lava dome is so fascinating.

The clouds swirled around us and the mountain.

It was easy to imagine the canyon full of lava, mud, and ash.

Analise recruited Celebrity to help with her rock collection.

We watched the eruption movie and continue to be amazed by the power and destruction of volcanoes.

A hike where Mountains blow up with no bugs- Aug 2013

Catching up on past adventures and came upon this gem:
Just before Analise turned one, we decided to head toward Mt. St. Helens at Amy's request









We headed up to Johnson Ridge on a beautiful clear summer day. We hiked on top of the piles of mud and ash that are over what once was forest enjoying the view of Spirit Lake below.









We took some time to enjoy the wonder of the inside of the mountain.









The lake has log jams all along the edges from the trees that were blown off the side of the mountain during the eruption.

This hike did not have many wiggle spaces for baby Analise, but she was able to play in dirt a little.









Looking across what once was forest to the crater is pretty amazing.









Amy took some time for drawing in the dirt.









I enjoyed seeing the red Indian Paintbrush flowers coming back.









It was a fun time to be on top of the world!









We spent some time watching the movie and learning about the eruption.









Analise got some wiggle time in the visitor's center.









One piece of trail was rather exposed.  We stayed safe and worked together.









What a lovely day!