Venus Dergan and Roald Reitan were camping along the Toutle River 38 miles away from Mount St. Helens when they were swept away by a mudflow. The 70 mph mudflow tossed them among huge logs, debris, mud and ash.
"It was like a bad horror flick," said Venus, who suffered major injuries.
The bark of the trees had scraped the skin off her arms and legs "like a cheese grater," she said. The two managed to eventually climb up a hillside and walk slowly to safety.
"Mother Nature rules," said Venus. "The human race is not #1 on this planet."
