| Note: | When I arrived at steerage at 0800, it was clear that no significant runoff had occurred there yet, because the trough was more than half full of gravel and the left channel was mostly dry. From 0800 to 1030 I checked back every 30-45 minutes and saw nothing encouraging. Word from the lower platform was that no North Vent vertical had been seen all morning, either. Starting around 1030, there was a slight increase in the height of North Vent and by 1100 the runoff was increasing very gradually. Around 1130-1140 I noted a couple of overflows that got the right side of bottom rock wet and there was a trickle down the left channel. At about 1150, there was a more sustained flow that got my attention and when I moved to the bridge I could see that gravel was being moved in the trough. At 1200 there was a minor with sustained South Vent that resulted in the first 5+ overflow of the day. From that point minors were coming every 1-2 minutes and every overflow was 4 or better. I could feel the increase in the temperature on the bridge from the warmer water in the channel beneath it. At 1214 there was another minor with even stronger sustained South Vent and a 5+ overflow that moved debris down the channel, washed gravel across Elvis, and made a gouge in the remaining gravel in the trough. There still had not been any vertical in North, but it seemed to be getting stronger. There were 4.5 runoffs at 1221 and 1223, then a 5 at 1227, and finally at 1229 North went vertical and South put out another 5+ flow, followed by another at 1230. At 1231 a "woohoo" minor was called on the radio and more debris washed down the channel with a 5++ flow. Then at 1233 there was a sustained strong minor with a very tall burst from North Vent. The platform was cheering and the overflow was off the scale, washing debris down the left channel and easily pushing a billiard ball size rock clear to the bottom. Then there was a brief quiet period when I feared that the chance had passed and I had the idea to check on Cistern. I jogged over for a quick look, and it was still overflowing and had a strong roiling boil to 6-8" in the center. By the time I got back to the bridge another "woohoo" minor was called at 1237, and starting at 1243 the minors were coming about once a minute with North vertical and 5 or better overflows that again increased the temperature on the bridge. There were more radio calls at 1248, then two more huge minors, then a wall of water as South Vent began to sustain and North Vent pushed higher and higher until it finally initiated the eruption just as the clock turned to 1252. North and South Vents surged upward together, then a needle of white water from North Vent speared straight up into the sky and it built to full power. The spray drifted to the east, where it filled a channel that is forming on that side, created a waterfall shortcut down the main channel, and also flowed across the trail on the east side of the bridge. About 4 minutes in, the breeze shifted slightly and North Vent began to appear muddy and many more rocks were thrown. A massive flood filled the west channel; I remember looking over 6 or 7 minutes in and seeing white caps. North Vent first ran out of water 27 minutes into the eruption, though wispy water returned to both North and South, and the eruption was still very loud with a lot of water a full hour after the start as I was leaving the area. |
