This was my first experience with glissading, which I thought was pretty cool. With luck and dedication, I will have pictures looking down on this spot by next June. An example of a tree that did not survive the shock wave of heated gas that rolled down the mountain. We had lunch pretty near the spot where I took this shot. Lunch was good, but the view was better.
Desolation has a unique charm and aesthetic quality to it.
I think that for some it may be an acquired taste, but for me it has always been just another click on the dial of what is created by the forces of plate tectonics, water and air erosion and life. In fact, if you have any sense, having an idea of how a particular landscape was formed should enhance the power that it holds. Nowhere is that clearer than on this mountain. And furthermore, what caprice of geology left the path that we hiked up unscathed, while vast areas, just a stone's throw away, were and have been denuded for almost 2 decades and most likely will continue to be for some time. During one of Mt. St. Helen's eruptions, a lava flow cut through this section of rock, carving out Ape Canyon.