Mt. St. Helens lost in Wildfire Smoke - Flying Drone in the Apocalypse

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Sep 18, 2020

The mountains lie hidden beneath a choking veil of toxic smoke that cloaks Mt. St. Helens as it does the entire West Coast of the United States. The dark forests and silent valleys are thick with the stench of millions of acres vanished in flame and burning ash. Even so many miles from the blazes that have torched Oregon, California, and Washington State the smog of these infernos has consumed the Pacific Northwest in its entirety. I flew my drone through this sickly stillness, driving ever higher into the mountains and launching from lofty viewpoints, but never could I rise above the haze and murk. I returned home stinking of smoke, having documented this historic catastrophe.

I really payed for this little adventure when I got home. My clothes absolutely reeked of smoke and my throat and lungs hurt despite having worn a mask. I'll definitely need to clean my Mavic 2 Pro out before I fly it again, but it was worth it to capture this footage. Fortunately the air is much improved this morning after a night of heavy rain, though air quality is still poor by comparison to pre-fire days.

Paleomanjim · Sep 18, 2020

IlluminationsfromtheAttic said:
The mountains lie hidden beneath a choking veil of toxic smoke that cloaks Mt. St. Helens as it does the entire West Coast of the United States. The dark forests and silent valleys are thick with the stench of millions of acres vanished in flame and burning ash. Even so many miles from the blazes that have torched Oregon, California, and Washington State the smog of these infernos has consumed the Pacific Northwest in its entirety. I flew my drone through this sickly stillness, driving ever higher into the mountains and launching from lofty viewpoints, but never could I rise above the haze and murk. I returned home stinking of smoke, having documented this historic catastrophe.

I really payed for this little adventure when I got home. My clothes absolutely reeked of smoke and my throat and lungs hurt despite having worn a mask. I'll definitely need to clean my Mavic 2 Pro out before I fly it again, but it was worth it to capture this footage. Fortunately the air is much improved this morning after a night of heavy rain, though air quality is still poor by comparison to pre-fire days.

Yep, looks bad. But nothing compared to when the Mountain blew back in 1980. I lived 100 miles away in Elmira Oregon when it blew and I heard the blast. And then the ash. Nature is in control, no doubt about it.

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Sep 18, 2020

Paleomanjim said:
Yep, looks bad. But nothing compared to when the Mountain blew back in 1980. I lived 100 miles away in Elmira Oregon when it blew and I heard the blast. And then the ash. Nature is in control, no doubt about it.

No, not as bad as the ashfall from St. Helens, but this is probably the worst it's been since the blast!

itsneedtokno · Sep 18, 2020

Mother Nature has had enough, she's kicking us out lol

Hurricanes that dissapate and then reform, 22 named storm already (it's still early), saharan dust earlier this year, Australia on fire ...

Topwind · Sep 19, 2020

Absolutely stunning work!! Your sense of visual drama matches the horrific reality you reveal. Great choice of music for this, too!! What site are you using for royalty free music? Bravo!!!

KurtpH · Sep 19, 2020

IlluminationsfromtheAttic said:
The mountains lie hidden beneath a choking veil of toxic smoke that cloaks Mt. St. Helens as it does the entire West Coast of the United States. The dark forests and silent valleys are thick with the stench of millions of acres vanished in flame and burning ash. Even so many miles from the blazes that have torched Oregon, California, and Washington State the smog of these infernos has consumed the Pacific Northwest in its entirety. I flew my drone through this sickly stillness, driving ever higher into the mountains and launching from lofty viewpoints, but never could I rise above the haze and murk. I returned home stinking of smoke, having documented this historic catastrophe.

I really payed for this little adventure when I got home. My clothes absolutely reeked of smoke and my throat and lungs hurt despite having worn a mask. I'll definitely need to clean my Mavic 2 Pro out before I fly it again, but it was worth it to capture this footage. Fortunately the air is much improved this morning after a night of heavy rain, though air quality is still poor by comparison to pre-fire days.

Obviously that’s on YouTube, but my Internet connection is my phone only. Hey, I got it on my computer! Who knew that it had more options. Well...Eerie, I say. Great footage. What editing program did you use?

Lets Fly · Sep 19, 2020

IlluminationsfromtheAttic said:
The mountains lie hidden beneath a choking veil of toxic smoke that cloaks Mt. St. Helens as it does the entire West Coast of the United States. The dark forests and silent valleys are thick with the stench of millions of acres vanished in flame and burning ash. Even so many miles from the blazes that have torched Oregon, California, and Washington State the smog of these infernos has consumed the Pacific Northwest in its entirety. I flew my drone through this sickly stillness, driving ever higher into the mountains and launching from lofty viewpoints, but never could I rise above the haze and murk. I returned home stinking of smoke, having documented this historic catastrophe.

I really payed for this little adventure when I got home. My clothes absolutely reeked of smoke and my throat and lungs hurt despite having worn a mask. I'll definitely need to clean my Mavic 2 Pro out before I fly it again, but it was worth it to capture this footage. Fortunately the air is much improved this morning after a night of heavy rain, though air quality is still poor by comparison to pre-fire days.

Yes, the music fit. I was waiting for the monster to come over the mountain, but I guess the monster was in the air.

Palerider · Sep 19, 2020

Excellent video.. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe.

wheelski80 · Sep 24, 2020

IlluminationsfromtheAttic said:
The mountains lie hidden beneath a choking veil of toxic smoke that cloaks Mt. St. Helens as it does the entire West Coast of the United States. The dark forests and silent valleys are thick with the stench of millions of acres vanished in flame and burning ash. Even so many miles from the blazes that have torched Oregon, California, and Washington State the smog of these infernos has consumed the Pacific Northwest in its entirety. I flew my drone through this sickly stillness, driving ever higher into the mountains and launching from lofty viewpoints, but never could I rise above the haze and murk. I returned home stinking of smoke, having documented this historic catastrophe.

I really payed for this little adventure when I got home. My clothes absolutely reeked of smoke and my throat and lungs hurt despite having worn a mask. I'll definitely need to clean my Mavic 2 Pro out before I fly it again, but it was worth it to capture this footage. Fortunately the air is much improved this morning after a night of heavy rain, though air quality is still poor by comparison to pre-fire days.

Thanks for posting an excellent video. I don't think anyone who has

IlluminationsfromtheAttic said:
The mountains lie hidden beneath a choking veil of toxic smoke that cloaks Mt. St. Helens as it does the entire West Coast of the United States. The dark forests and silent valleys are thick with the stench of millions of acres vanished in flame and burning ash. Even so many miles from the blazes that have torched Oregon, California, and Washington State the smog of these infernos has consumed the Pacific Northwest in its entirety. I flew my drone through this sickly stillness, driving ever higher into the mountains and launching from lofty viewpoints, but never could I rise above the haze and murk. I returned home stinking of smoke, having documented this historic catastrophe.

I really payed for this little adventure when I got home. My clothes absolutely reeked of smoke and my throat and lungs hurt despite having worn a mask. I'll definitely need to clean my Mavic 2 Pro out before I fly it again, but it was worth it to capture this footage. Fortunately the air is much improved this morning after a night of heavy rain, though air quality is still poor by comparison to pre-fire days.

Thanks for posting! I don't think anyone who hasn't visited the area has any idea of how bad the situation is.

FunYin · Sep 30, 2020

Thanks for posting. Spot-on choice of music as well. I was in the Mt. St. Helens area in '80 very shortly before the eruption (fishing trip with my father). What was interesting was that some of the rivers were running suspiciously muddy due to agitated glacier/snowfield activity on the mountain. Not 100% sure if that was a sign of the impending eruption but I do remember it well.

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Sep 30, 2020

itsneedtokno said:
Mother Nature has had enough, she's kicking us out lol

Hurricanes that dissapate and then reform, 22 named storm already (it's still early), saharan dust earlier this year, Australia on fire ...

Just like the Billy Talent song "Swallowed up by the Ocean", we have treated our planet poorly and we're beginning to pay the price!

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Sep 30, 2020

Topwind said:
Absolutely stunning work!! Your sense of visual drama matches the horrific reality you reveal. Great choice of music for this, too!! What site are you using for royalty free music? Bravo!!!

Thank you very much! I get my music from Epidemic Sound.