Jonezee,
I had the unfortunate news reach me that friends of my wife and I were killed on the Mountain. We traveled to Yellowstone Park for vacation and in Old Faithfull Lodge they had slides (negatives) photos for sale.
I noticed the Gift Shop had slides of Mt. St. Helens erupting, but I was not ready for what I was about to see!
ONE slide, of our friends burned out truck with them in it or not.
That experience hit me like a hammer!
Sure they weren't supposed to be there (restricted area) but it didn't matter since they were dead.
I can tell you if that mountain would have exploded SOUTH instead of EAST, it wouldn't have been a pretty picture.
Doug