In 1912, the largest volcano eruption to occur in the 20th century, covered McNeil with three feet of ash. Over the years, that ash has compacted to a thickness of 8", creating a coffee ice cream-colored layer of clay. Clay that on May 23rd was still frozen! The auger dug down to the ash layer and stopped. (Look very closely, and you'll see a red fox, just to the left of the blue tape on the auger shaft.)