/ Mount St. Helens 25th Anniversary

11:39 AM PDT on Friday, May 20, 2005

From KING5.com Staff Reports

KING

Dorothy Stoffel

Geologists Dorothy and Keith Stoffel had chartered a Cessna flight over Mount St. Helens the morning of May 18, 1980. As their plane flew overhead, the mountain began rumbling and suddenly erupted. Believed to have been the closest to the mountain during the time of the eruption, Keith Stoffel managed to capture the moments before and after the blast on film.

  View the Stoffels before and after pictures

  Listen to Dorothy Stoffel's experience

KING

Bruce Judson

Bruce Judson was the pilot that flew the Cessna for the Stoffels. Expecting a quiet Sunday morning ride, he got the jolt of his life when the mountain exploded as they flew directly above the volcano. Had the mountain erupted vertically instead of laterally, it would have blown the plane and its three occupants "to Canada" said Judson.

  Listen to Bruce Judson's experience

KING

Valerie Pierson

Valerie Pierson was an inspector of tree planting for the U.S. Forest Service when the eruption began. Standing one mile from the base of the mountain, Valerie said she watched in disbelief as half the mountain simply slid away in silence.

  Listen to Valerie Pierson's experience

KING

Roald Reitan and Venus Dergan

Venus Dergan and Roald Reitan were camping along the Toutle River 38 miles away from Mount St. Helens when they were swept away by a mudflow. The 70 mph mudflow tossed them among huge logs, debris, mud and ash. "It was like a bad horror flick," said Venus, who suffered major injuries. The bark of the trees had scraped the skin off her arms and legs "like a cheese grater," said Venus. The two managed to eventually climb up a hillside and walk slowly to safety.

"Mother Nature rules," said Venus. "The human race is not #1 on this planet."

  Listen to Venus Dergan and Roald Reitan's experience - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

NWCN

Austin Jenkins

Public Radio and former KING 5 reporter Austin Jenkins was on an overnight first-grade class camping trip near Randall, Wash., on the northern side of Mount St. Helens when the mountain erupted. "Day turned to night," Austin remembers, and "rocks the size of golf balls" and ash fell from the sky. Parents and chaperones quickly got the group of first graders out of the area safely. "We knew this was serious," said Austin.

  Listen to Austin Jenkins' experience

NWCN

KING 5 meteorologist Rich Marriott

KING 5 meterologist Rich Marriott was an avalanche meteorologist for the U.S. Forest Service when the eruption occurred. Rich surveyed the mountain days before it erupted. Four days after the eruption occurred, Rich rode along with rescue teams in Army Chinook helicopters looking for survivors. "It looked like a scene out of hell," describes Rich, "because you would see all those fumerals and steam vents."

  Listen to Rich Mariott's experience

  Slide show: View Rich's photos taken days after eruption