On May 18,1980, Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington erupted with the force of a hydrogen bomb. The volcano had been dormant for over 120 years, but now 57 people were dead; forests and lakes were totally destroyed, including nearby Spirit Lake, which became a mud hole. The blast leveled trees in areas over 10 miles from the crater and ash deposits suffocated life on the mountain. However, within weeks, mammals that had taken shelter underground started to appear in the area, and now, over thirty years later, many areas of the mountain are colonized with a large variety of plant and animal life. How does an area move from a sterile, barren wilderness to one full of life