on our way to our last volcano, we checked out the
gifford pinchot national forest - iron creek area...it is an old growth forest and we are pretty sure fairies live there.
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| the fungi diversity was astounding |
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| iron creek falls |
the forest on road 131, off of 12 between st helens and rainier, is amazing and is worth the time, plus you're going up to see
mount st helens, right?
not today, lady! there is a very large tropical storm visiting washington right now...irony? we did however, catch a glimpse of spirit lake...here is our favorite spirit lake lkf or little known facts:
1. the log mat created by the lateral blast covered up to 40% of the "new" lake post eruption and the log mat is slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake,
2. Spirit Lake received the full impact of the lateral blast from the eruption; the blast and the debris avalanche associated with this eruption temporarily displaced much of the lake from its bed, and...
3. it took 3 years before phytoplankton began to restore oxygen levels of the lake!
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| log mats |
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| edge of the blast zone |
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| 34 years...still standing |
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| debris |
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