I have a rather pointless fondness for nice round numbers, and so am overly excited about the fact that next Wednesday is the 25th anniversary of the Mount St Helens eruption.

The US Forest Service puts a wonderfully short description of the day on their website. There’s also a link to commemorative events but it’s worth it to note a few of them here:

• “Stories from eyewitness survivors,” to be held at the recently re-opened Johnston Ridge Observatory on Saturday 14th (or in Kelso if for some reason Helen decides on re-booming).
• Free volcano day (no fees charged at the monument and at the visitors’ center on SR 504) on the actual anniversary date next Wednesday. Come dare fate to strike again on a milestone occasion!
• On Saturday 21st, the finals for Castle Rock’s Volcano Building Competition (seriously, the real one was enough, right?).
  

My friends can be divided into two groups of people: those who Know Where They Were when Mount St Helens went “ka-plooey” (I believe that’s the technical term), and those who Know Of Mount St Helens Going “ka-plooey”. I’m in the latter group, and have been regaled by many a story of ash and loud noises, but am always up for hearing more, so I’d love to hear from our readers — where were you when the mountain went ka-plooey?