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Mount St. Helens Institute eNews
Welcome to the July edition of Rumblings: Normally we think of spring as the time of new beginnings, but with the wildflowers blooming, at least one summit marriage proposal, and a very special addition to the MSHI family, it feels like summer is having a rebrand. Slather on that sunscreen and come explore what's popping up around the mountain!
News you'll find in this issue:
MSH License Plate Auction!
Upcoming Programs: Into the Crater & Summer Photography Hikes
Equipping Our Volunteers for Success
Meet the Next Artists-in-Residence
Accessible and Stroller-Friendly Trails Around Mount St. Helens
A Summit Story Worth Bleating About
Behind the Scenes at the Cascade Volcano Observatory
Welcoming the Next Generation: Baby Koppelman
2026 Events at a Glance
Photo courtesy of Truth Johnston
MSH License Plate Auction!
After years of waiting, it is finally here! The Mount St. Helens license plate will be available for public purchase on August 19, 2026. Information will be available via WA DOL’s special plates webpage about a week in advance.
But first, mark your calendars! We'll be auctioning rights to the first 25 plates (VM00001-VM00025) during an online auction July 11-14! Low number plates are valuable among collectors and demonstrate your unwavering support for MSHI!
Auction proceeds go first toward the state's plate-implementation fee; any auction funds raised beyond that go directly to supporting our mission. Looking ahead, once the state fee is covered, MSHI also keeps 100% of the funds raised from ongoing special-plate registrations.
Want a low-number license plate? Here's how to bid:
Once bidding goes live (Saturday morning at 8 a.m.), click on the plate you would like to bid on.
Enter your current bid, or enter a maximum bid to let the site automatically bid up for you.
Keep bidding until your favorite plate is yours!
Plates have staggered end times, so if you miss out on #VM00001, there's still time to bid on #VM00002 and beyond. Bidding for plate #VM00001 closes Tuesday, July 14 at 5:15 p.m.; the final plate (#VM00025) closes at 7:45 p.m.
Our guided summit climbs are almost sold out for the season but MSHI offers other unique opportunities to explore Mount St. Helens. The wildflowers are popping and our guides have been scouting out the best routes into the heart of the blast zone, so if tackling the 'vertical beach' isn't your speed, consider an altogether different kind of program this summer:
Into the Crater Hikes
Journey into the volcano with an expert geologist and MSHI's professional guides on a multi-day adventure—not your average weekend hike!
Photo courtesy of Tate Young
Your trip begins on Friday afternoon at the remote Mount St. Helens Field Camp, where you'll settle into your campsite or claim a cot in a spacious wall tent. After a delicious dinner prepared by the camp host, you’ll kick off the weekend with a fireside geology chat to prepare you for the terrain ahead.
On Saturday, you’ll lace up your boots for an immersive, 8-mile roundtrip trek through an otherworldly landscape of canyons and lava beds to the edge of the youngest and fastest-growing glacier in the world. Look out for the mountain goats that call this rugged terrain home as you learn about the forces that shaped this special place.
"Standing in the crater and looking out toward Spirit Lake gave me a whole new perspective. Being in the place that was a mountain and seeing how far material went left me in awe."
The adventure wraps up on Sunday morning after a full night's rest and a hearty breakfast, leaving you with memories (and photos) to last a lifetime. Spaces are limited to 12 hikers per group to ensure an intimate and safe experience.
It doesn't matter whether you're equipped with a smartphone, a classic film camera, or a digital setup, you can elevate your photography skills while exploring one of the Pacific Northwest’s most stunning landscapes. Join photographer Patrick Aalto and MSHI guides on Saturday, July 19, for an unforgettable creative journey to Spirit Lake.
Photo courtesy of Steve Long
This hike offers a rare chance to train your lens on an ecosystem transformed by the 1980 eruption. You’ll get hands-on photography tips in the field along with insights from our naturalist guides. Capture wildflowers, reflections, and the eerie beauty of sun-bleached logs still floating on the lake.
We often say MSHI's volunteers are the heartbeat of our organization, and we mean it. Our comprehensive Mountain Steward training helps trail volunteers in their role as educators, sharing knowledge about the volcano and its place in both the physical and cultural landscapes of the region. On a more tactical level, they are also trained in radio communication, emergency preparedness, and coordination with local emergency medical services including search and rescue teams.
"MSHI's volunteer training prepares volunteers for any number of situations that one might encounter out on the trail, from handing out stickers and answering questions about wildflowers to communicating with emergency personnel and keeping the public safe. As the first line of preventive responders around the monument, we take immense pride in putting our volunteers in the best position possible to succeed."
Withour first residency of 2026 already underway, we're excited to share more about the next group of artists who'll be joining us at the Science & Learning Center at Coldwater from July 19 to July 26:
Michele Lauriatis an American landscape artist working with gouache, acrylic, and assorted pencils on watercolor paper.
Fun artist fact: Michele is a certified Volcano Naturalist—from Boston! Michele told MSHI that "At the moment I feel compelled to make images of volcanoes. I am in pursuit of landscapes in motion ... In the year that follows I will make large-scale studio drawings exploring the opposing forces of destruction and creation at this iconic American locale."
All three artists will be running workshops during our first Base Camp of the year, July 24 to 26, so there's still plenty of time to sign up!
What makes a great guide? Professional mountaineering experience? Definitely. But it's also the soft skills, and no one exemplifies this like our new Lead Guide Aaron Sugg. It might not seem like a big deal, but it meant the world to students from a school in Tacoma when he made sure their Great Outdoor Adventure Team (GOAT) mascot, Billy, reached the rim. Contact our guided programs teamto learn more about youth summit opportunities.
Accessible and Stroller-Friendly Trails Around Mount St. Helens
In honor of Disability Pride Month and this year's theme, "The World Works Better With Us," we're revisiting accessible trails around Mount St. Helens. Disability-led design benefits us all, whether you're reading captions, using voice-to-text for multitasking, or pushing a stroller, and we want to give everyone the opportunity to discover volcanic landscapes.
You canfind practical advice on accessible adventures in this blog written by "little feet hiking" author Jessica Becker. Her comprehensive guide includes GPS coordinates, trail conditions, and tips for visiting all three zones of the monument, from tranquil Meta Lake to the Trail of Two Forests and Coldwater Lake's interpretive boardwalks.
Photo courtesy of JP LeBoutillier
Behind the Scenes at the Cascade Volcano Observatory
Last month, MSHI staff and partners took a field trip to the U.S. Geological Service (USGS) Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) in Vancouver, WA. Our program included a tour of the facilities where we got a firsthand look at the latest volcano monitoring equipment and met SALI, the robot speeding up the processing sediment samples from all over the U.S.
It was a great opportunity to learn more about the work of the CVO team along with the challenges (and rewards!) of working in dynamic environments. We heard from the scientists undertaking ground deformation surveys, monitoring seismic activity, and measuring volcanic gases at Mount St. Helens along with those assisting other countries as part of the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program.
MSHI collaborates with CVO on the GeoGirls program—a free geology and technology camp at Mount St. Helens. Starting August 3, we'll be welcoming 20 middle school girls and 4 high school mentors from Kirkland, WA, to Keizer, OR and everywhere in between. Joining them are 17 female scientists from the USGS, WA Department of Natural Resources, University of Washington, University of Oregon, Idaho State University, and Central Washington University (amongst others!) who'll be assisting the campers on projects ranging from geochemistry to the ecological response following a volcanic eruption.
We wouldn't be able to run GeoGirls without the continued support of CVO, and we're incredibly grateful not only for this close and fruitful partnership but also for its continuing efforts to advance research and protect people, infrastructure, and ecosystems from volcanic hazards.
Sarah Koppelman, MSHI's Development & Community Engagement Director, and her husband Jordan are thrilled to announce the arrival of a baby girl! Leah Genevieve Koppelman made her debut on June 11, and both doing well. Jordan and Sarah can't wait to bring Leah to the volcano for many adventures and volunteer opportunities in the years to come!
Sarah is planning to be away on maternity leave through the end of the year. While she is out, Co-Executive Director Alyssa Hoyt will be managing the majority of her duties. Sarah wants to share how deeply thankful she is to the whole MSHI staff and board for supporting her in taking such a significant time away from work to bond and settle in. If you see her out on trail later this year with a baby in tow, please say hello!
Mount St. Helens Institute operates under a special use permit from the US Forest Service and is honored to work on the Traditional Cultural Property, ancestral and present-day lands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
Mount St. Helens Institute is an equal opportunity provider.
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