Early one Sunday morning in 1980, Janet Kerns was sitting alone in her quiet living room.  The house was situated at the end of the county road on the foothills of the Elkhorn Mountains.  There was no traffic, no conversation, no radio playing, just silence.

In the midst of that silence, Janet heard an explosion.  The source of the sound was obviously far away, but it was loud enough and remarkable enough that she glanced at the clock to note the time.  It was a little after 8:30 a.m. on May 18.  She thus became an ear witness to the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, even though she was approximately 230 miles and several mountain ranges away.

Also remarkable about that explosion are the apparent effects that it had on conditions underground at that same distance.

Kathy Orr testifies that the well at her house on Old Highway 30 between Haines and North Powder produced good, clean water until Mt. St. Helens blew its top.  Ever after that, and to this day, the well pumps so much sand that she has to clean out the bathtub after each use.

Dale and Mike Olsen had a warm spring on their place at the base of Hunt Mountain.  Pioneers used it for bathing.  It is still identified on some maps as a hot spring.  The spring is still there, but it lost its heat when Mt. St. Helens erupted.