Exciting News!

I found out today that I will be flying in a helicopter up to Mt. St. Helens on Monday!

I am going up with a scientist on the geodesy team (they study the deformation of the ground on and around the volcanoes, which can indicate if/when magma is moving underneath) to build a cement pad that will be used for some sort of drilling rig, I think. We will be working right on the dome of lava rock that was built in the middle of the crater, so I should get some great pictures! Then we will finish off the day with a couple stops at GPS stations throughout the volcano, to gather data and put out some new equipment (each station needs 4 batteries, each battery weighs 65 lbs... I will definitely get my workout in for the day!).

I am really lucky that Joe, my supervisor, is really flexible and has encouraged me to get out into the field. His project doesn't really present any opportunities to do so, but one thing the USGS really emphasizes with this internship is getting experience in all aspects of volcano science, including work in the lab, the office, and the field. So I owe Joe a huge thanks for letting me work with other scientists too so I can get the full experience!

If you want to read a little bit more about Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO), here is the website:
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/
(there are lots of links to pictures, stories, eruption reports, etc. Enjoy!)

Catch-up

Here are some of the photos I've mentioned in the past but couldn't upload:

My first view of Mt. St. Helens!

Mt. Hood towers over the landscape.

Mt. Hood through the trees. It's the closest to Vancouver, so I have lots of pictures like this!

Beautiful Weekend... with photos!

It was a gorgeous weekend here in Vancouver. After all the rain we've had lately, 80s and sunny was a welcome treat! My roommates and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday and drive down to Larch Mountain (Oregon), where we'd been told we would have a great view of the Cascades. It took about an hour to drive to the little park, which is located in the HUGE Mt. Hood National Forest. After a short stair climb, we arrived at the summit, where we had an amazing 360-degree panorama view! The day was beautiful, and we could see FIVE peaks standing in one spot. Here are a few pictures from the top of Larch Mountain:

Mt. St. Helens: 46 miles away.


Mt. Rainier: 97 miles away!

Mt. Adams: 54 miles.


Mt. Hood: 22 miles.

Mt. Jefferson: 62 miles.

Mt. Hood behind me.

View of the Columbia River.

After eating our lunches on Larch Mountain, we took a drive along the Columbia River Gorge to see all the waterfalls that cascade into the gorge. It's really beautiful!

Kaleb and Jamie consulting the map.

Columbia River Gorge. You can just see Interstate 84 in the bottom right; it runs along the rim of the gorge for most of the length of the state of Oregon!

Jamie and Kaleb at Vista House, a tourist stop that overlooks the gorge.

Latourell Falls and a beautiful day!

Latourell Falls, Oregon.

Multnomah Falls, over 600 feet tall! (Niagara Falls are 167 feet...)

Rainbow in the mist at Multnomah Falls.

It was nice to enjoy a day outside and see the sights this region has to offer. I'm really glad my roommates enjoy the outdoors as much as I do!