Book: In The Path Of Destruction (non-fiction St. Helens)

[Cudedog]

As I posted previously, I finally made my personal pilgrimage to Mt. St. Helens this past August.

It was a fabulous trip. I camped at Toutle, and visited the Johnston Ridge Visitor's Center (the Mt. St. Helens observatory) on two successive days.

Here is a review posted on Amazon that pretty much sums up my thoughts on this book. I agree with this assessment 100%. Am re-posting it here because this review already covers all of the points:

https://www.amazon.com/Path-Destruction-Eyewitness-Chronicles-Helens/product-reviews/0874223237/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_ttl?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews&sortBy=recent#R1YJAY0K1RBZSR

If you read only one book about the eruption of this mighty volcano, **THIS IS THE ONE**. It is exhaustively researched, well written, and totally engrossing. With the first reading, I literally could not put it down. It is extremely dense with verified information, so much so that it is difficult to take all of it in at a first reading, yet it often reads like a speeding adventure/disaster novel - yet it is all true.

After about a month, I sat down for a second reading, and found it just as engrossing as the first time - perhaps even more so. Still such a tremendous amount of factual information, hard to absorb.

I was in my early thirties when the mountain erupted (about the age of David Johnston at the time) and it took me all of these years to finally make the trek to the mountain.

Although I was not sure what I would find there, it was not at all what I expected. The destroyed mountain is so immense that one has difficulty grasping the size of it while standing at the observatory. As of August of 2017, the mountain is still jagged and filled with rubble, still quite vigorously steaming, dead trees (flattened by the eruption) still visible on the surrounding mountains 37 years after the eruption.

I found it curious that the Johnston Ridge Observatory does not mention the full name of the volcanologist it is named for anywhere (that I could find - and I looked) on either the inside or the outside of the building. Why is that, I wondered? Where is the name of David A. Johnston mentioned?

Mostly no where here, it seems.

I asked around, a ranger at Coldwater Lake, a Forest Service employee inside the observatory building - no one could give me a straight answer, other than obliquely stating that there had been some kind of "controversy" regarding his death. When I asked what it was, the nearest I could come to an answer was that Dr. Johnston was the "young guy on the block" (although already a Ph.d) and his predictions regarding an enormous eruption were not thought likely (his predictiions turned out to be frightening accurate) - where the "old guard" thought the volcano would "steam and then go back to sleep" as it had done in the mid-1800's.

It seems to me that there may be another story here, as yet untold.

Finally, someone pointed out to me a small 8 1/2 x 11 photo of Dr. Johnston, under glass, affixed to a far wall, with a brief - very brief - description of his contributions, and of his loss. Mounted on the wall at a place that I would have never found it, had not someone been kind enough to point it out. I briefly touched the glass over the photo with my fingertips, and whispered my respects.

And the Mountain itself? Again, not what I expected. I was looking for, I guess, a historical site, calm, serene, beautiful, the landscape healing. Although the landscape around the mountain *is* healing, it will likely be a century or more - perhaps much more - before it is green and forested as it once was.

Calm and serene it was most certainly *not*. I found this still-steaming, still-active volcano to be intimidating, malevolent, and threatening (astonishing that a multi-million dollar observatory would be built on this same ridge where Dr. Johnston perished, in what is almost undeniably in the path of future destructive eruptions).

Although the mountain was "beautiful", at least in the way a destroyed mountain can be considered "beautiful" I could not wait to be gone.

Once at home, I read this book. Then read it a second time. I see a third reading coming sometime in the future. Having been there, I could now more easily visualize the ruggedness of the terrain, the enormous size of the volcano, how the eruption happened, and how massive and destructive it truly was.

Dr. Johnston is mentioned many times in this book - one can draw one's own conclusions therefrom. I must say that all who are mentioned here (geologists, journalists, survivors, victims, all) are mentioned equitably, fairly, truthfully, and with good balance.

If you have any interest in volcanoes in general, and in Mt. St. Helens specifically, you MUST read this book.

It is well worth your time.

I, too, am on my second reading. The whole scenerio is pretty mind-boggling.

Anne

[avalen]

Mind boggling indeed! Although we spent all day up there last summer, I would most certainly enjoy going again next summer and do more studies. Thanks for the review on the book, many have been written but always hard to determine which would be the most informative.

[Cudedog]

Mind boggling indeed! Although we spent all day up there last summer, I would most certainly enjoy going again next summer and do more studies. Thanks for the review on the book, many have been written but always hard to determine which would be the most informative.

I bought three books while I was there, and found this one to be far and away the best of the lot. Especially the second half of the book, that describes the eruption and the people trapped (and many killed) by it.

I think I would like to go again, even though the mountain pretty much scared the crap out of me. Next time I would also go to the visitor's center at Silver Lake, and also visit Couger, Wa., which is on the south side of the mountain (the side of the mountain away from most of the eruption).

And probably visit the Johnston Ridge Observatory again, especially after reading the book.

One of the cool things about the book (I didn't read the book until I had come back home) is that (after being there) I knew the areas described in the book, and could easily visualize them as the action started ramping up. Toutle High School, for example, is right on the main road to the volcano (drove right by it coming and going) - and was one of the major helicopter staging areas during the eruption when they were trying to get injured people out.

The campground where I stayed - Harry Gardner State Park - I found out later had been totally wiped out by the eruption, and had just recently re-opened (the park had been buried in more than three feet of ash and debris, and was abandoned for years).

How did you view the mountain, Alice?

Did you find it frightening or peaceful? When I was there, the crater in the mountain was steaming quite a bit, and there also seemed to be steam now and again coming out of the base of the mountain - but that may have just been ground fog, I really don't know for sure. However, ground fog seems unlikely in August - the temps were in the 90's at the Observatory when I was there. It kind of freaked me out.

Anne

[avalen]

It was steaming when I was there too. At first I thought it was a small cloud but realized as time went on that day that it was indeed steam. I did not find it frightening, it was just such an incredible curiosity to me and the rockhound part of my brain would love to camp and explore for rocks. It was hot that day we were there as well.

[SoCalGalcas]

When I saw it several years ago, I was driving around with my mouth hanging open. The sight of the destruction is unbelievable. Lyn

[Cudedog]

When I saw it several years ago, I was driving around with my mouth hanging open. The sight of the destruction is unbelievable. Lyn

Even 37 years post-eruption, the destruction is still obvious - and immense.

One of the (many) interesting things mentioned in the book is that the National Guard (and others!) had helicopters up within an hour or so, flying all around the mountain - while the initial, major, unprecedented, eruption was still ongoing - searching for survivors (and they found quite a few - both people and their dogs). Flying quite near the erupting mountain, in near white-out conditions (from the falling, billowing ash),was white-knuckle flying at it's finest. Heroes, all.

The second half of the book, with first-person accounts telling individual stories during the eruption - was very immersive. I felt like I was "there".

Anne

[AlmostThere]

There was a fabulous documentary shown on TV this summer documenting the main characters, and others by default, during the time leading up to, during and after the eruption. Did the book touch on the young couple, that were next to the Toutle River, and got caught up in the mudflow? Or the young couple camping with their baby and what they went through to survive? Or how one of those brave helicopter pilots left church to chance risking so much? So many folks with horrific stories.
Mt St Helens is practically in my backyard as the crow flies. My grand daughter dates a boy from Toutle High.

[Liz]

I have been to Mt. St. Helens 3 times. Twice to the eastern side...just as awe-inspiring. In the summer of 2016 I took the hiking trail down to the edge of Spirit Lake where downed trees still float around like giant matchsticks, filling a large part of the surface.

[Cudedog]

There was a fabulous documentary shown on TV this summer documenting the main characters, and others by default, during the time leading up to, during and after the eruption. Did the book touch on the young couple, that were next to the Toutle River, and got caught up in the mudflow? Or the young couple camping with their baby and what they went through to survive? Or how one of those brave helicopter pilots left church to chance risking so much? So many folks with horrific stories.
Mt St Helens is practically in my backyard as the crow flies. My grand daughter dates a boy from Toutle High.

Yes, there was a an excellent section in the book describing the narrow escape from the mudflow by the young couple, and also an excellent section describing the couple camping with their three-year-old and their infant. The baby was wrapped in a pack, with even her head covered (to protect her from breathing the falling ash). As the family was boarding the small helicopter that landed to rescue them, the helicopter was badly overweight - too many passengers for such a small aircraft - and one of the crew told the couple to leave the heavy "pack" behind because of weight issues (there was a brief tug-of-war between one of the crew members -
who was trying to toss the heavy "pack" out the door of the helicopter!!!) and the Mom, before the Mom was able to articulate and scream that there was a baby in the pack!!

There are also a GREAT MANY such stories in the book - one of my favorites was the one where a young couple was on their way to meet a friend near to the mountain to take photos, when for some unknown reason the husband suddenly wanted breakfast (he was a man who never ate breakfast) so they stopped at a restaurant (in Kid Valley, I think) and he had a long, leisurely, breakfast with "the works" eggs, toast, coffee - things he didn't usually eat.

The wife was fuming - really angry at this delay. Finally her husband was finished with breakfast, and they again started towards the meeting point. They had only gone a few miles when they could see the mountain beginning to erupt. Now the wife was completely enraged - their friend was getting all of the good photos of the mountain erupting, and they were getting nothing, having missed it because of the husband wanting breakfast. Just a few minutes later, they realized that the pyroclastic cloud was coming rapidly towards them (rapidly lofting over high ridges between where they were and the mountain) turned around, and drove for their lives - the husband passing another car on a blind curve at eighty miles per hour. Their friend did not survive, nor did the occupants of the car that they had passed. The pyroclastic cloud caught them.

About 57 people died in the eruption. About half of that number have never been found, including USGS volcanologist David Johnston. Tragic.

You live in the backyard of St. Helens? Where, may I ask? Couger, maybe? You are braver than me, especially after reading this book. The mountain is indeed beautiful, but I don't think I would wish to live so close.

Please, what is the name of the documentary that you mention? I would love to see it. I often find such programs on YouTube, posted in their entirety. I would love to find this one.

I have been to Mt. St. Helens 3 times. Twice to the eastern side...just as awe-inspiring. In the summer of 2016 I took the hiking trail down to the edge of Spirit Lake where downed trees still float around like giant matchsticks, filling a large part of the surface.

Thank you for posting the photo, Liz. Such a beautiful place, juxtaposed with such total destruction. Amazing.

Anne