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Mount St. Helen's, viewed from about 10 miles to the north.
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Historical sign, describing the morning of the eruption
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A more readable view
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The lay of the land
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The official entrance to the National Monument.
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Old skeletons and new-growth forest. It has taken the ground a long time to heal here.
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A view to the east
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Explanation of the Blast Zone
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Tree graveyard
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For miles, whitish-gray trunks of shattered trees litter the hillsides, all facing the same way -- away from the blast
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Mount Rainier in the distance to the northeast
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As the road brings you closer to the volcano, the number of dead trees increases
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Volcanic rock, formed 1000's of years ago
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Spirit Lake, about 7 miles from MSH, was a thriving vacation and camping area...
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Now, more than a quarter century after the eruption, it remains choked with thousands of dead trees
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What looks like a wide and light sandy beach....
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...is a vast logjam
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Another hillside, even closer to MSH. The blast knocked all these trees down in seconds.
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Spirit Lake
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The east slope of Mount St. Helen's. Note the steam rising from a vent in the caldera.
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The volcano from 7 miles away. MSH lost 1413 feet of elevation that fateful day.
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Wildflowers and a long range view to the northeast
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The caldera still breathes
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No vegetation has returned to the lava and dust encrusted mountainside
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No one is allowed within 5 miles of the mountain.
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A mechanical victim, melted and crushed. It's unknown what became of the car's owner.
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