Racing Model Boats When Mt. St. Helens Blew Up

[Jerry Dunlap]

On Sunday morning, May 18 40 years ago , we were conducting a model boat race in Lakewood, Washington. A little after 8:30 we heard a loud boom from the south. A while later someone heard on the radio that Mt. St. Helens had erupted. Several model boaters from the Portland area were attending the race. News on the radio mentioned flooding of rivers coming off the mountain possibly blocking their return home on I-5. We called off the race and our friends from Oregon managed to get home using alternative routes. A mud flow caused by the volcano dammed Coldwater Creek and in time created Coldwater Lake. Coldwater Lake is now a favorite fishing location for my son Paul, who was 8 years old and attending the race when the mountain blew 1,400 feet off its top. I manage to get in a few fishing trips each year with him to the volcano formed lake. I am sure this is the only model boat race that was canceled because a volcano blew its top. Mt. St. Helens is visible from a section of Coldwater Lake. It is a catch and release lake with beautiful rainbow and cutthroat trout.
JD

 

[Bruce Jacobs]

It was strange being pitch black at noon that day. I still have a coffee can of ashes

 

[David Bryant]

was watching news coverage of this unique anniversary yesterday. They also mentioned how, at this point in time (right now), geologically, that the same region could sustain the possibility of a 9.0 earthquake. And that the "newly" formed volcano lake could potentially take out adjacent cities/communities

 

[Mike Cathey]

I had been steelhead fishing on the Skagit River that morning and heard a faint boom around 8 o'clock. We had my buddies pair of German Shepherds with us and these highly trained and disciplined dogs had been going nutzo for the past hour, pacing around and looking for someplace to hide. We were wondering what this is all about so we went back to my buddies house in Sedro Woolley for breakfast and as I was making it the phone rang in the kitchen and my friends brother simply said "turn on the TV". I asked what channel and he said, "all of them".