Shortly following its eruption in May 1980 until the spring of 1984, Emmet Gowin photographed Mount Saint Helens and its surrounding area, documenting the dramatic changes caused by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in American history. He obtained permission to photograph the site through a fortuitous acquaintanceship with William Hauser, the head of the Photographic Section of the U.S. Forest Service, and returned every fall and spring thereafter. In this aerial view of the remaining volcanic ash, Gowin captures the indomitable power of nature and the relative lack of human control in relation to such an unpredictable force.