Mount St. Helens on May 17, 1980

On Saturday, May 17th, 1980, no one knew what would happen early the next morning. It might have been a typical, even fun Saturday. Two young glacier researcher, Mindy Brugman and Carolyn Driedger drove to the northside of Mount St. Helens. On top of a ridge, six miles from the mountain, the stopped to visit with geologist David Johnston and his assistant Harry Glicken. Glicken had been camped at the observation post known as "Coldwater 2" for a couple weeks, and Johnston ahd come up to cover the Sunday shift. Brugman and Driedger had planned to camp that night, but Johnston insisted the potential danger was too great. Around 8pm, the young researchers headed down the mountain, back to Vancouver, leaving Johnston at his post. Little did Driedger known that on her camera roll would be the last two images of Johnston, and that in sending them away, he had just saved their lives. The next morning at 8:32 am, Johnston's voice radioed the headquarters, "Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!" He was killed in the eruption.

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USGS glacier researcher Mindy Brugman peeks at a special timelapse camera set up at the observation post known as Coldwater 2 on May 17, 1980. The resulting images often showed clouds as they swirled around the snow-capped summit of Mount St. Helens, and ever so often, one of the USGS geologists in a frame as they reloaded the camera, including David Johnston who died the next morning in the major eruption of May 18th.
Carolyn Driedger / USGS

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Graduate student Harry Glicken was stationed at the lookout known as "Coldwater 2" at the beginning of May, 1980. He sits in a "director's chair" with the words "Volcano Director" written on the backrest, as he moves his hands like a orchestral conductor. Glicken would have been at this location the morning of May 18, 1980, when it erupted, but left the evening before so he could meet with his graduate school advisor. Geologist David Johnston covered his shift, and died in blast.
Carolyn Driedger / USGS

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Carolyn Driedger was slightly star-struck when she met geologist David Johnston at Coldwater 2 observation post on Mount St. Helens on May 17, 1980. She was starting her career as a field assistant with the USGS, and Johnston had been featured in news warning of the pending danger of a potentially catastrophic eruption. "Here's the guy who was watching over the volcano," Driedger recalled, "and I think I was a little bit shy on taking that photo because I thought maybe he doesn't want me to take his picture." Johnston then looked up and smiled. Driedger focused her camera and took a second image. These would become the last two photographs of Johnston, who died the next morning in the eruption of May 18th.
Carolyn Driedger / USGS