"Breath deeply and courageously,
and take one step after the other,
because beyond darkness,
there is always light."
--Tamara Levitt
Today I walked through a part of the Santa Catalina Mountains that was blackened last year by the massive Bighorn Fire that raged through nearly 120,000 acres from June 5 to July 23. Firefighters converged from around the country and fought the fire day and night, then rain finally helped put it out. Hundreds of homes were threatened, but none was lost.
Some of it still looks pretty charred and devastated, but I was heartened to see green leaves and flowers sprouting among the ruins.
New leaves are infiltrating blackened branches ...
... and brave little flowers are popping up in the dry dirt.
This area is along the Birding Loop Trail in Catalina State Park. An old-timer told me that before the fire, this loop was one of the prettiest in the whole park, with shady trees, wildflowers and birds. I could imagine that as I hiked in silence in the early morning coolness. I had the trail almost to myself, except for a jack rabbit and doves.
I have faith that its beauty will return.
Have a colorful day
4 comments:
Mother Nature knows how to take care of her land doesn't she! Love seeing the flowers and buds coming up!!!! I am going to share your last post saying! It is so perfect!
It’s amazing how quickly nature regenerates
Nature has a way of healing, and I guess occasional devastation has a purpose even if we don't know what that is. Beautiful post about the new life!
Nature is amazingly resilient. I remember after Mt St Helen blew up, felling acres of trees, spewing ash and covering areas in deep deep mud, the scientists just knew it would be years before any plant life returned, animals too. Yet when they arrived the next spring, plants were already pushing through the mud and ash and signs of wildlife were everywhere. May this section of the state park bounce back quickly to something like its former glory, as it is already starting to do.
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