In June 2024 we took part in a Mount St. Helens field adventure led by the Mount St. Helens Creation Center (MSHCC) Director, Mr. Bill Hoesch. Bill regularly leads several different excursions to areas around the volcano throughout the year as allowed by the snow level on the mountain. These adventures are promoted by the creation center as “guided excursions that are an exciting way to reach out and touch the book of Genesis.”
The excursion my wife and I most recently took part in this past June was the “West Side Adventure.” Director Bill Hoesch has a master’s degree in Geology from the Institute for Creation Research and is most qualified to explain the volcano and its impact through a creationist perspective. We began with a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation that provided the group on our tour with a foundation regarding what we would see and the volcano’s connection to other historical catastrophes such as the Creation and the global Flood at the time of Noah that are described in the Bible.
Participants in the excursion enjoying the MSHCC Dinosaur & Fossil Museum prior to the trip to the mountain.
Bill explains the map of the West Side Excursion in his PowerPoint.
Much of the day-long adventure consisted of about 100 miles of convoying in our own cars as we followed Bill to the several stops along the way to the Hummock Trail hike.
New forest growth since the eruptions seen at Harry Gardner Park.
Bill Hoesch lectures at the Toutle River.
View of the volcano from the Forest Learning Center.
Stop at Coldwater Lake.
Approximately two hours of the adventure were spent on the Hummock Trail where we investigated the hummocks, various ponds, a variety of plants, and a canyon that was carved by the eruptions of the 1980s.
Evidence left by beavers on the Hummock Trail.
Mount St. Helens from the end of the Hummock Trail.
There are loads of photo opportunities on this excursion. I highly recommend not only this West Side Adventure but all of the excursions available from the MSHCC and Bill Hoesch. You can contact Bill through the MSHCC website or by phone. The website address is https://www.mshcreationcenter.org and the phone number is 360-274-5373. The center is located at 147 Front Avenue NW in Castle Rock, Washington 98611. Do not send USPS mail to this address, instead send it to the post office box that can be found on the website.
Don’t forget to allow another hour or two to tour the MSHCC Museum and bookstore as well as the Dinosaur & Fossil Museum located there. The Creation Center open hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.
J.D. Mitchell
