A 3374-meter high
volcano, approximately 130km west of
Anchorage,
Alaska. It
erupted three times during the summer of
1992—June 27, August 18, and September 16-17—sending out
pyroclastic flows into the wilderness and a great
eruption cloud into the air, which rained
ash over Anchorage and other parts of south-central
Alaska.
I was in Anchorage for the August 18th eruption while travelling with my family. We ogled the ash cloud as it moved over the city in the early evening, blocking out the sun and turning on streetlights hours before their time. On the horizon was a faint glow, the color of sunset.
Then the ash rained down.
It fell all over the city, coating it in a grey snow. Whether driving, flying, or breathing, ash is no fun. We got in our rented motorhome and drove towards the Kenai Peninsula to escape it. We were part of a mass exodus from the city, driving south along the crowded highway. We feared that the gritty ash might interfere with the workings of our engine, but were fortunate enough not to experience such a disaster. As we escaped from underneath the cloud, light returned. We marvelled at the lush scenery of the Kenai in the bright light of Alaska at 8pm in the summer. I collected ashfall from off the rear bumper, storing it in a zip-loc bag as a souvenir.