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Blue Mountain Eagle
In the mountain’s shadow
Remembering Mount St. Helens, before and after eruption
By RON BALDWIN
For The Astorian
ASTORIA — According to the
Klickitat people, the creator had
spoken. He was furious with his
sons, who led his people to opposite
sides of the great river.
Wy’east and Pahto led warriors
against one another over the love
of Loo-wit, a woman who could
not decide between the two. See-
ing his people perish at the hands of
their own kin, the creator flew into
a rage, casting all three into stone
in the form of the great fire moun-
tains that dominate the horizon, so
the legend tells.
The Cowlitz, Yakama, Mult-
nomah and Chinook tribes gave
their own names and stories to the
towering peaks. When Capt. George
Vancouver entered the Columbia,
he gave two of them names that he
thought would serve him best in the
British Royal Navy.
Wy’east became Mount Hood,
after Adm. Samuel Hood, and Loo-
wit became Mount St. Helens after
the ambassador to the Spanish
court Baron St. Helens. Pahto, now
known as Mount Adams, would
wait another 70 years to take the
name of the United States’ second
president.
Mountains have captured the
imagination and awe of human-
kind since the dawn of time. Nearly
every culture has ascribed some
spiritual significance to the peaks
in their realm. Often, a mountain
serves as the setting of a creation
story, or some physical manifesta-
tion of a spirit, god or goddess. For
lower Columbians, Mount St. Hel-
ens is a constant presence, whether
you can see the mountain or not.
On a clear day, it can be seen from
nearly anywhere on the river, sport-
ing varied cloaks. It reigns over the
landscape, silent and peaceful for
now.
The catastrophic eruption of May
18, 1980, changed everything. The
classic Cascadian dome, consid-
ered by many to be the most beauti-
ful of the Cascade stratovolcanoes,
was blown off in one of the dead-
liest and most destructive volcanic
events in American history. This
was not the first time the mountain
Ron Baldwin/Contributed Photo
A snowcapped Mount St. Helens.
had blown its top. Geologic records
reveal many more, and many Indig-
enous tribes have told stories about
its fiery events. Not many alive at
the time will forget where they were
when the mountain lost its temper.
Most lower Columbia locations
had a dusting of fine, gritty ash, but
the blast was to the north and the
prevailing winds buried the lands
northeast of the blast zone in as
much as 5 inches of ash. The blast
zone was devastated. Trees were
incinerated in seconds and mil-
lions of logs from surrounded forests
washed down the Toutle and Cowlitz
rivers before filling the Colum-
bia, along with a mixture of ash and
pyroclastic mud.
Life downstream was forever
changed. River commerce came to
a stop for a time. The incalculable
damage resulted in years of dredg-
ing, construction and countless
human and financial costs before
the Columbia returned to its pristine
state. Having spent many school
days in Longview, Mount St. Hel-
ens was always right over our shoul-
ders, in winter dazzling white and in
summer stripped and bare.
Spirit Lake, lying at the base
of the mountain, was a summer
destination for kids from all over
the Northwest for decades. Scout
troops and recreation groups had
regional camps there, in addi-
tion to a host of public and private
campsites and lodges. The shores
and close waters were loaded with
canoes, rafts and floats. In the eve-
ning, campfire smoke mingled with
singing, laughter and scary stories
over hot dogs, marshmallows and
hot chocolate.
This spring, two events spurred
me to take a day drive to the moun-
tain. First, to celebrate the 50th birth-
day of my Volkswagen bus, and also
to reminisce about an adolescent
foray to the mountain in 1972.
It’s a great day trip for those living
on the lower Columbia. From U.S.
Highway 30 and Interstate 5, head
toward Kelso before turning east at
state Route 504 near Castle Rock.
In the 1970s, Spirit Lake Highway
was a twisting, narrow road often
traveled by logging trucks. After the
blast, the road had to be rebuilt for
years, since much of it was simply
buried. Today it’s a pleasant drive of
long curves and grades.
The names swirl in my memory
as I drive, first Seaquest State Park.
Then Silver Lake, where I nearly
drowned while learning to water
ski. The town of Toutle, home of
the Toutle Lake High School Fight-
ing Ducks. Kid Valley Store, where
everyone stopped to get that one
thing they forgot. My one disappoint-
ment in the trip was to find a “Road
Closed Ahead” sign at the turnoff to
Tower Road. Before the eruption,
two places on this road were the
old swimming holes of every youth
within 50 miles. The Tower Bridge,
with its pools and cliffs, entertained
young and old alike with cold, crys-
tal clear waters and wind protected
beaches, all just a few miles from
town.
Upstream of the bridge was Hol-
lywood Gorge, where a locomo-
tive once plunged off a trestle into
the river, a 1930s film stunt. Down-
stream was another favorite swim-
ming hole. Though the river still
flows through these places, they
are forever changed since the erup-
tion. Once past the town of Toutle,
the highway begins to rise quickly in
elevation.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Bracing for a challenging fire season
By KATY NESBITT
For EO Media Group
SALEM — Despite a long winter
and cold and wet spring, Oregon fire
authorities are preparing for a chal-
lenging season.
During a press conference on
Monday, May 16, Gov. Kate Brown
highlighted the state’s challenges —
despite the state’s rainfall the past
two months, there are many places
experiencing a “megadrought,” with
dry conditions expected to continue.
Early indications, Brown said, are
that Southern Oregon and the east
side of the Cascades along with the
Columbia Gorge are especially vul-
nerable this year.
To alleviate some of the stress of
extended drought and increasingly
large wildfires, the Oregon Legisla-
ture passed Senate Bill 762 in 2019,
adding funding for additional per-
sonnel and equipment, like air tank-
ers and helicopters.
Brown claimed Oregon has one
of the best response systems in the
country, but the new funding will
help keep resources from being
maxed out when fire season arrives.
The governor also stressed preven-
tion to curb the outbreak of wildfires.
“Please be smart and careful
when enjoying the outdoors to pre-
vent tragic loss,” she said. “Being
prepared can mean the difference
between life and death.”
In the wake of fires that not only
destroyed hundreds of thousands of
acres of forest and rangeland, some
of Oregon’s recent wildfires, espe-
cially in September 2020, left thou-
sands homeless. Brown asked that
people stay informed through outlets
like oralert.gov on fire activity and
evacuation orders.
“If you are asked to evacuate,
please just do it,” she said.
Mike Shaw, Oregon Department
of Forestry’s fire protection chief,
said the cool, wet weather of April
and May are welcome respite from
the drought and has helped put off
fire season, but echoed the governor
about the continued threat of wild-
fire across most of the state.
“We are in a very significant
drought pattern, especially on the
east slope of the Cascades and vast
parts of Eastern, Southern and Cen-
tral Oregon,” he said.
According to maps predicting the
national wildfire outlook, the sea-
son will likely ramp up in mid-July
and be very active in August. Travis
Medema, chief deputy for the state
fire marshal’s office, said that is the
same time period that competition
for resources could be a problem.
“We are going to try and keep
fires small and out of communities,”
he said.
The state has 305 fire depart-
ments and three incident command
teams.
“We will work with local com-
munities to bolster capacity when
needed,” Medema said.
With technology that predicts
lightning and detects fuel moisture
of grasses, live fuel like trees and
dead and down material, Medema
said fire crews can be pre-positioned
in areas that are likely to have high
fire activity.
While state and federal agen-
cies have contracts with air sup-
port, the Oregon National Guard
will also have two Blackhawk heli-
copters that can haul 500 gallons
of water at a time and one Chinook
that can fly with a 1,500-gallon
bucket. National Guard troops will
be trained and ready for ground sup-
port, as well, according to Maj. Gen.
Michael Stencel, the adjutant gen-
eral of the Oregon National Guard.
Andrew Phelps, director of the
Office of Emergency Management,
said there are several state agen-
cies coordinating efforts for the
upcoming wildfire season like Ore-
gon Department of Human Services
that works with nonprofits to pro-
vide shelter and food for those who
are displaced and Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation that works
with the Department of Forestry
cross-training employees in fire
fighting and snow removal. He said
the state also has a mutual aid agree-
ment with its neighbors.
“As seasons are longer and more
intense, the agencies’ roles are keep-
ing people safe,” he said. “We have
a shared responsibility to prepare for
emergencies.”
The Department of Environmen-
tal Quality’s focus is on smoke man-
agement, air quality and communi-
cation, said Deputy Director Leah
Feldon.
Tom Roick, DEQ air quality mon-
itoring manager said the network of
smoke monitors across Oregon is
expanding. He said his department
received money to install 20 new
monitors. The information will be
shared to through the state’s air qual-
ity index on the OregonAIR app and
https://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.
NeighbORly
[ INSPIRING KINDNESS ACROSS OREGON ]
Check in on a friend. Share your lunch. Offer to carry that. Grow a
garden and give it away. Ask the tough questions. Then listen. Stand
up for someone. Give someone a chance. Give yourself a break. Give
to the arts. Start a movement. Start a scholarship. Welcome the new
neighbors. Be patient. Walk a mile in their shoes. Donate shoes. Drop
off dinner. Leave the last donut. Leave no trace. Take responsibility.
Hold the door and your mind open. Endeavor to understand. RSVP.
Smile. Hope for nothing more than kindness in return.
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