We went to Mount Saint Helens as part of our homeschool Co-op, with the Mount Saint Helens Learning Center, and we spent a couple days learning about volcanoes, especially the one we were visiting!
I have been to the mountain many times oh, but it had been quite some time and it was very good to be back!
We had a limited amount of “free” time on the way in, and we wanted to shake our legs a bit, so we checked out the “A-Frame House”… this poor family had planned to move into their new home the weekend the Mountain erupted and buried their new home in mud and rock.
We also checked out the Sasquatch…
At the Hoffstadt Creed Bridge, the boys caught up on some history. There’s a lot of opportunity to learn as you enter the Volcanic Monument.
Our first stop took us to the Johnston’s Ridge Observatory…
We watched the “We live in a troubled world…” video, and at the end, the curtain went up on a cloud-free Mt St Helens… an impressive sight, no matter how many times I see it!
The kids in the co-op read through the information, learning about the Mountain – and finding a fact that would stump everyone else later in the day! =]
The Mountain, of course, did not disappoint.
The terrain table tells the story of the events that took place on May 18, 1980.
The not so little guys…
We even managed to get a family photo at The Mountain.
No matter how many times I come, I am awed by the view.
The Learning Center is at what used to be known as the Coldwater Observatory, my favorite of the Observatories, and the one I’d visited most often when visiting the Mountain. I had never stayed there overnight, though, so this was a real treat.
The kids met the instructors, and we got started with our two days of learning…
We went for a short hike in the Hummocks to learn about their formation, and the wetlands that were born as a result, and the variety of wildlife that now call the Toutle River Valley home.
We were down where the action was on “Eruption Day”… while it was obvious the destruction had taken place, it was also quite compelling to see how nature was responding to – and thriving in – the new environment.
The Hummocks Trail really connects you to what happened, and you get a real feel of the awesome power that was released in an instant on a random Sunday almost 40 years ago.
The scenery was awesome… so awesome that you hardly notice that the trail splitting the water was once a bridge on what was once WA 503… 
The view from Coldwater was as stellar as ever. No longer open to the public, it had been a LONG time since I was able to take it in.
The lake was born 39 years ago, dammed by the landslide that raised the Toutle River valley floor 600 feet in some places. The Coldwater Creek backed up into what is now a prime fishing location.
The kids went through a series of exercises that tought them about the events of May 18, 1980, and volcanoes in general. Here, they are getting ready to act out the events that shaped the valley the room overlooked.
Lots of good information…
The lake.
The stay was a successful one. The kids learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and enjoyed the opportunity to learn in a different way. There was a lot of hand-on activities, and I think they learned quite a bit more than they realized. I enjoyed being at The Mountain again – it’d been a while.
Our Northwest Family 