I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980

The following day, the Rowan twins arrive at the diner and tell Jess and her mom that the police are allowing loggers and cabin owners to return to the mountain; their father plans to drive back up to the fishing cabin to fetch his fishing rod. Although Jess wonders if this plan is safe, she jumps at the chance to go with them so that she can retrieve her dad’s camera.

Early the next morning, Jess sets off with Mr. Rowan and the boys, heading to Loomis Lake. When they arrive, Mr. Rowan urges them to hurry because he does not plan to stay long. As Jess hikes on the trail, she gets a bad feeling. The forest is still showing signs of the last earthquake, and the air itself is eerily quiet. When they arrive at the shack, Jess is surprised to find her dad’s camera carefully wrapped in a plastic bag, sitting in her backpack. Wondering who could have done such a thing when the mountain has been closed, she takes the bag.

As the friends leave the shack, they notice an unpleasant smell of rotten eggs in the air and look at each other in alarm, realizing that they are smelling sulfur: a clear warning of an imminent eruption.