Color photo. Mount St Helens, at sunset. The mountain is on the far right, side-lit in warm tones by the sun from out of frame. The caldera is in shadow. Below it is a gently sloping green landscape cut by deep river valleys.

On May 18th, 1980, at 8:32 AM, Mount Saint Helens erupted.  Thirty three years later, after moving to Washington State, I visited.

When I got to Washington in 2013 I made a point of getting out and exploring my new home as often as possible.  Mount Saint Helens was near the top of the list of places I wanted to see, and I got down to it in my first year.  After spending an enjoyable afternoon at the Cascades Volcano Observatory, reading up on the eruption, I walked a little ways down the nearby trail along Johnston Ridge.  My trip was well rewarded, treated to the mountain catching the last rays of the setting sun, and a gorgeous Belt of Venus along the horizon.  And thus the name of the photo, and today’s post: Helen Girdled in Venus’ Belt.

The panorama here was stitched from three separate photos.

Gear: Nikon D600, Nikon 24mm f1.4


Will a mountain fit in your home?  You can probably squeeze in one from the Print Store.  😉