May marks the passage of 40 years since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Over the past year, we’ve collected stories from people who shared memories of their relationship with the mountain before, during and after the blast. Throughout the month, we’ll highlight some of these stories with video, audio and photos here on our Facebook page. A lot of people had a strong connection to Spirit Lake, including the Ackerman family. Check out this 1967 footage of the lake and mountain looming in th

The Floating Logs of Spirit Lake More than 40 years after the explosive eruption of Mount St. Helens, relics from the blast continue to haunt nearby Spirit Lake. The remains of thousands of trees that were violently stripped from the mountainside in 1980 still float on the lake in 2021. But the log mat is more than a reminder of the volcano’s destruction; scientists think it has become an important part of the lake’s ecosystem. Spirit Lake is located just north of Mount St. Helens, in the Cascad