All good things come to an end at some point, right? After 17 years of expeditions, a shifting economic and political relationship between our countries, the continued delay in the rebuilding the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, restrictions of access to the Ape Caves, a challenging exchange rate between currencies and a rapidly encroaching retirement, this trip became our last one for the students at G.P. Vanier. This, officially, was our Last Blast...So, 2025 saw 24 Vanier students come along for the last edition of our Mount Saint Helens trip. This year we, once again, went to both Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens as the road to the JRO is still out of commission. Also this year we were joined by Ms. Sarah Rebitt, as our female chaperon, she came along as a student back in 2018. Along with Arsenault, Rebitt, and Young we also had Mr. Greg Kochanuk, district principal of ISP join us as a fourth chaperon and fellow bus driver. We took the Black Ball ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and it was pretty calm with very few swells or rollers unlike last year. We also did not have a fire on the MV Coho this time... so yay! The entrance to Mount Rainier National Park We made our way down Highway 101 to Tumwater for the first night and ventured to Mount Rainier for the start of our second day. The day was grey and overcast so the expectations of the same mountain views we had back in 2023 were tempered by the cloud deck. Regardless we made our way to the Henry M Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise slowly through the clouds. At the parking lot it became abundantly clear that not only would we not see Rainier, we also would only be able to see about a kilometer ahead of us at most. The students were troopers, however, and were up for a hike in the snow. We made it to our usual vista/ridgeline and promptly engaged in what can only be described as fun. Lots of sliding and joy ensued Jacob gearing up...notice the beautiful mountain views in the distance?! Young and Rebitt lead the way Mr Kochanuk part way up Pause...breather Mr. A in his usual affable mood ;) The hike up to our sliding slope Down they come... Even Mr. Kochanuk got in on the fun Teacher Chaperons at the Paradise Ranger Hut Our wet but happy group of trekkers After coming back down we spent a bit of time in the Henry M Jackson Visitor Center, mostly to dry out a bit and have some lunch before we made the long trek back on State Route 706 through Ashford to Elbe, then south on Highway 7 to Morton and west on Highway 12 through Mossyrock to the I-5 and down to Kelso for the night. On the way down from the visitor center at Rainier, we did stop at the bridge over the Nisqually River and got our "best" view of the southwest flank of the volcano. Most of the volcano was cloud obscured but we did catch a glimpse nonetheless. Once again, in Kelso, the teachers filled up on their typical Mexican Food pilgrimage and Mr. A and Mr. K took some students to go see a movie. Other students took a dip in the pool, played cards, went to Target or otherwise just chilled for the night. The next morning saw some long faces until a quick coffee stop before heading to the north side of Mount Saint Helens. We have never really stopped at the A frame cabin in the Kid Valley before. A few times Mr. Bourget and Mr Arsenault pointed it out but we were always on the way to the JRO. Since this was our last trip we decided to make a stop here. This A Frame cabin was innundated with the lahars that came down the Toutle River valley. To be honest the house is in pretty bad shape and hasn't been maintained as a museum, however there are vehicles scattered about that were unearthed from the lahars and you get a pretty decent visual of just how much debris travelled a significant distance away from Mount Saint Helens. So, the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater was the original tourist center after the eruption in 1980. In the past, this center was closed as the Johnston Ridge Observatory had replaced it. With the road closed to the JRO since 2023 this center has reopened. In the last few years we've gone to the Ape Caves on the sotuth side but this was our last opportunity to see the mountain and the views from here can be stellar...on a clear day. We did get to see Coldwater Lake, some of the hummocks and a sliver of the pumice plain in front of St. Helens but the weather was just uncooperative. We did wait for just over an hour and the weather went from bad to marginal to hopeful to bad. Still, many of the students commented that they appreciated the immensity of the place and could sense the volcano behind the wall of grey obscuring it. Ever hopeful, Mr. Kochanuk assures us that the volcano is just right there...see it? Mr. A never let any dissapointment bother him at all and was eager to share stories of the volcano with the students Mount St. Helens is special to me because for seventeen years I was able to share it with generations of students at G.P. Vanier. Nerds up front I felt the need to take one last moment in front of the volcano to give my thanks to Loowit (St. Helens) and recall the story of 8:32 am May 18th, 1980...to honour David Johnston and express my gratitude for the privilege of being able to do this for seventeen years. I must admit, it wasn't easy, I got choked up with the emotion of it and have nothing but respect and appreciation for the students' kindness and compassion. Thank you 2025 group... you made my last blast a very special one indeed

2024 saw 32 Vanier students come along for the 16th edition of our Mount Saint Helens trip. This year we, once again, went to both Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens as the road to the JRO is still out of commission. Also this year we were joined by Mr.A's wife...Ms. A and that makes it two family sweeps (Mr. & Ms. A along with both kids and Mr. Young & Ms. Petrie along with both Mr. Young's kids...twice!) So, along with the Arsenault's and Young we also had Mr. James Tancon join us as a fourth chaperon. We took the Black Ball ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and it was pretty windy with pretty decent swells and rollers that made some have a good time, while others just had to look at the horizon and hope 😉 Now, I don't know about you, but I did not have an RV fire on the deck of the M.V. Coho while crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca on my Mount Saint Helens Travel Bingo Card for 2024. This was the start we had 😧. Although we were delayed for a few hours in Port Angeles, and one of the busses smelled like burnt plastic, aside from some water and soot neither bus faced any harm or damage. Our thanks go out to the crew of the M.V. Coho and to the Port Angeles fire department for their fast actions and outstanding professional work. After our delay we made our way down the 101 past Hamma Hamma, Skykomish, and Shelton to our regular stop in Tumwater for the night. Ms. A and Mr. Young did a pretty thorough cleaning of the busses and the next morning there were some Little Trees Air Fresheners for each bus...now christened "Black Ice" and "Supernova". Day two saw us take the Mountain Highway East (#7) and then the 706 to Paradise Road up Rainier to Paradise. There were a few views of Mount Rainier from Longmire and the Christine Falls Bridge but as we progressed to the Henry M. Jackson visitor center at Paradise the mountain weather gods brought a cloud deck that wouldn't budge. We could see Pinnacle Peak, Unicorn Peak, Plummer Peak, and Stevens Peak to the southeast but Rainier hid behind a grey deck of clouds. Nonetheless the students had fun hiking and sliding in the snow. After a quick trip to the gift shop and a lunch the students had a nice nap on the bus through Morton and Mossy Rock on the way to night two in Kelso. Side note..."Supernova" got stuck in Elbe when as bathroom break went very sideways but "Black Ice|" waited for them to catch up. Needless to say the story involves small rail cars and what can only be described as a "Roadhouse" movie bathroom location. Kelso saw us update or hotel choice, moving from the Red Lion to the Sleep in but of course the food didn't change. Yes, the chaperons went to Fiesta Bonita again 😋 Day three took us to the Ape Caves. As always, this is a highlight of the trip for us. We spent a lot of time in the caves...and I mean a lot of time. This year we took almost all the students all the way through the upper caves as they were keen to do so. First, almost everyone made their way into the small cavern at the end of the lower caves and then we all scrambled our way up and through the upper caves. Alas because we spent a great deal of time in the caves we lost our view of Mount Saint Helens from the south, as much like the previous day the mountain weather gods brought a cloud deck that wouldn't budge... Still, all told, year 16 was pretty fantastic! Year 17 will see the last journey for Mr. Young as Mr. A. forges a new path forward for the Vanier Mount Saint Helens adventure. Hard to believe that this grand adventure has made its way to here from 2006 😯 I think there just may be a return to the north side in store for next year. Coldwater Ridge here we come!

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