30 years ago Stephanie Trinneer and her family lived on the Toutle River in 1980 when the eruption of Mt. St. Helen's happened.
Their home was destroyed by the lahar (a cascade of mud and ash) that came down the river after the eruption. No one was hurt, but it was a life-changing event. As a young girl she was a talented cartoonist and chose to document her experience in the form of a "comic book" fully written and lllustrated by her. She shares that document with WestSeattleHerald.com readers in her composition called
Rumblings- A Kids Eye View of the Mt. St. Helens Eruption.

Note: The file is 5.4 megabytes and may take time to download on slower connections.

The volcano's May 18, 1980, eruption took the lives of 57 people. The force of the blast flattened buildings and vegetation over 230 square miles, and launched mud and ash flows that choked the Toutle and other rivers and streams with an estimated one-third of a cubic mile of uncompacted ash.

Visitors will be able to return for the anniversary of the event, beginning this weekend.
The Transportation Department will reopen Highway 504, the Spirit Lake Highway, at 7 a.m. Saturday. That highway leads to the Johnston Ridge Observatory where a closer look at the surrounding area is available.

More information: http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/