Explorers...

I'm happiest when I'm doing something or exploring something I have never done/seen before...

This is not news to those who know me but I just thought I would put it out there...

It helps you understand why something like the trip we took Monday made me so happy...

This is Mt. St. Helens from the North Eastern side...

On any sunny day I can easily see this mountain from my neighborhood...

But I look at it from the South side...

The side that was not blown out when this baby erupted in 1980...

I remember that day clearly and it disturbs me greatly that it was 33 years ago...

I don't like it that I'm old enough to remember "clearly" things that happened 33 years ago!

The blast knocked over thousands (millions?) of trees in an instant...

Many of them still laying where they fell all in the same direction which looks pretty cool...

Many of those that were to the north of Spirit lake were dragged into the lake when the water from the lake was pushed up 800 feet and then dragged many of the trees back into the water....

The lake is full of these beautiful floating logs...

I had never been up to Windy Ridge...

It is almost 3 hours of windy roads....but I have to say it was totally worth it....

We first hiked up a trail from Windy Ridge which over looked Spirit Lake...

Besides amazing views of the lake (better pictures can be found at shellyfryphotography.com) 

we also saw eagles, elk, and the coolest, was on the road, a bobcat crossed right in front of us!

I so wish I could have gotten a picture of him!

This is a water fall way up on the volcano...

you can see the devastation its just ash and rock and then this beautiful waterfall in the middle of it...

I wish we could have hiked to it but its "not allowed"...

Bald Eagle...

I'm not a bird fan but these guys are cool!

We saw two bull elk butting heads...

I love nature...

After we thoroughly explored Windy Ridge we drove back down the road a bit to the Harmony trail head and hiked down to Spirit Lake...

It was gorgeous!

We were the only ones there and it was so quiet and serene...

The logs were cool to explore and walk around on...

Really an amazing place...

I highly recommend it!

Amazingly peaceful for a place that experienced so much violent devastation...

The lake is clear and beautiful now...

Frychik