In the Path of Destruction: Eyewitness Chronicles of Mount St. Helens

“The air had no oxygen, like being trapped underwater…I was being cremated, the pain unbearable.”–Jim Scymanky

“I was on my knees, my back to the hot wind. It blew me along, lifting my rear so I was up on my hands…It was hot but I didn’t feel burned–until I felt my ears curl.”–Mike Hubbard

A napping volcano blinked awake in March 1980. Two months later, the mountain roared. Author Richard Waitt was one of the first to arrive following the mountain’s early rumblings. A geologist with intimate knowledge of Mount St. Helens, Waitt delivers a detailed and accurate chronicle of events. His eruption story unfolds through unforgettable, riveting narratives–the heart of a masterful chronology that also delivers engrossing science, history, and journalism.