We spent the 4th of July away from the sounds of fireworks, visiting a blast-area that flattened 230 square miles of forest. On May 18, 1980 at 8:32 a.m., Mount St. Helens erupted, releasing a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, triggering a massive explosion. It sent 1,300 vertical feet of mountaintop rocketing outward to the north, spewing ash upward 60,000 feet into the sky. The super-heated winds reached 670 miles an hour and reached temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The largest landslide in recorded history swept through the Toutle River Valley and created Coldwater Lake when the blast-zone carved a new channel in the river. 
We spent the day visiting every visitor center - there are four, each with different views of Mount St. Helens, each inching closer and closer to the barren face of the volcano. It was not the most comfortable place, in spite of gentle winds, a warm sunny day and wildflowers skirting the roadsides.
As we explored, it was so evident that a violent story had taken place, with ash and shattered timber scattering the mountainsides. The lava dome on the crater floor has grown steadily since 1980, adding 88 million cubic yards of material and 1,363 feet in height. We noticed that vapors were rising from a vent at the top, so this is still a very active volcano.
Exhibits, interpretive trails, and the visitor centers offer a day's worth of activities. We stopped briefly to watch Lloyd Gladson lead his team creating fantastic glass art from the volcanic ash. This is the world's only ash glass production art studio in action. 
This is Coldwater Lake, where we spent the afternoon canoeing. We put the canoe in at the boat ramp, and found, much to our surprise that we were sharing the lake with only one other canoe party. That meant for some quiet time on the water, which was a delight.
Over the years, the mountainsides have returned to normalcy, with abundant evergreens and deciduous trees covering the landscape. Shattered, burned trees were pulled out, and new ones planted. Fish once again fill the waterways, and elk and deer have returned to the surrounding hills. Twenty-seven years after the eruption, everything looks fresh and new. Thoughtful planning and the cooperative efforts of the USDA, Forest Service, Weyerhaeuser and private organizations have ensured that the history of the eruption will be accessible as a living laboratory for educators and scientists.
