Institute for the Study of the Environment

Our last stops were at Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, two of the Cascade Ranges great strato-volcanoes. The picture above shows St. Helens from the south side; the surrounding countryside appears much as it did prior to the 1981 eruption. The picture below is of the north side of the volcano, and shows the devastation that resulted from the lateral blast of the volcano...two decades earlier!

Students emulate the eruption, below.

Mt. Rainier gave us a view of what St. Helens looked like prior to the eruption; St Helens gave us a sobering idea of the potential for devastation in Rainier. We were blessed with excellent weather on this part of the trip. The tops of the mountains are cloud free only 30-40% of the time. But too much snow remained on the trails for us to hike to see the glaciers on Rainier.

So, as Derek says, below, that was all, folks!

For more information, contact Dr. Tim Lincoln, Institute for the Study of the Environment, Albion College, Albion MI 49224. Phone (517) 629-0486 . e-mail tlincoln@albion.edu