In the Spring of 1995, I visited the region surrounding Mt. St. Helens. This was one of the most intriguing and awesome experiences I've ever encountered. It was 15 years after the eruption of the Volcano, and the devastation was still intensely visible. The forests were still leveled like match sticks, there were peeks of rooftops poking up through the ground, and the debris of mud flows where streams once ran was obvious. The scene was the most incredible depiction of the force and power of nature that was unleashed from that Volcano.

In the hours we spent  there, hiking up timber strewn slopes that were once forests, and exploring the Lake Mead region, I don't think we uttered more than a few sentences.  The scope and enormous scale of the destruction was just so completely overwhelming.