If you know me at all, even a little bit, you know my love for the mountains runs deeps. My appreciate for nature is intertwined into every aspect of my life. How I spend my weekends, where we vacation, how I decorate our home. Even the topic I chose for my book (Natural Accents). I've been visiting these mountains by our house my entire life. They are my view outside my windows. Of all the mountains in Utah, the mountains directly in front of our house are the greenest. It probably annoys Shane, but every single time we drive along I-15 which runs parallel with the mountain range, I comment about how our mountain, our peak, is the prettiest. One thing I am proud of is that I have instilled that same love into my children. They beg to go up the canyon any spare minute we have. We usually go at least once a week. It is so much a part of our lives.
And now it is gone.
I feel like I am mourning the loss of a close friend. The canyon that was once alive is now burning. And it is bad you guys. As in we are now the #1 priority fire in the nation and it has been declared a state of emergency. It is so hard to watch but I can't tear myself away from the window. Watching the fire spread across the face of my mountain is heartbreaking and I have cried on and off for days.
It makes me grateful for all the photos I have taken. My kids and Shane sometimes tease me because no matter how often we go up there, I take photos every time. I have shared some of these over the years but I'd like to share my mountain with you today. My beautiful mountain before the fire.
Payson Lakes
The hike to the Grotto
Box Lake
The Grotto at Fall time
Driving the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway
Fishing at Payson Lakes
Our special meadow we would go on Sundays for reflection
I am writing this post with the hope that is is therapeutic for me. It is also an excuse to get away from the windows and news feeds searching for more information. I also hope that you will pray for our little community. So far no homes have been lost and that is huge blessing. I hope and pray that will continue to be the case.
I am not the only one that is mourning the loss of these mountains. They are a happy place to pretty much everyone in this area. We are a very outdoorsy community with camping, ATV riding, fishing, hunting, hiking, and boating being such a big part of our culture. It has been amazing to see everyone band together. I am going to try and think of all the service that was rendered when I look at my charred mountain. I will think of the lives that were risked to protect homes. And I hope that will help me while I heal from the loss of our mountain.
What a heart-wrenching story. It's one thing to see stories on the news showing the firefighters and huge flames, but your description and photos of what you are losing is so much more profound. I'm so glad you had the opportunity to enjoy it with your boys. It will grow back eventually, but I imagine it will take a long time. It's poignant that you captured the spirit of the mountains so beautifully in your sons' room this year. Perhaps you can print some of your favorite photos to hang all around the house.
Thank you for the sweet words. Now that the shock has worn off, I have come to terms with the fact that some of our places are gone. I'm trying to hold on to the fact that some of mountain was untouched. I already have quite a few photos framed, but I will e adding more :)
I am so sorry, and I am praying for your area. ((hugs))
Thank you :)
Hi Stacy,
Thank you for sharing your beautiful mountain. I've not traveled to Utah or any of Northwest regions of our country. Living in Florida my entire life, I've seen what the wildfires can do. I like to view it as nature's way of refreshing the ground and redressing. It will take time to regrow, but have faith and patience that in due time, the beauty will be restored. I pray that no homes or lives will be lost.
I will look forward to the progress Mother nature takes on your mountain. I hope you will continue to photograph the transformation from the ashes. Remember that God will give beauty for ashes.
Blessings,
Nancy Nooney
Thank you for your concern and sweet comment. I plan on taking photos once we are allowed back up the canyon and will definitely take some next year when things start to grow back. Unfortunately, the large pine trees that were lost will take 20-30 years to grow back. But at least some greenery will fill in in the mean time. God is good, and no lives were lost. That is such a huge blessing!
Dear Stacey ~ As heartbreaking as it is to see such beauty marred you can have faith that it will return in a very verdant way. I just visited Gatlinburg for the first time since their fires and I was amazed and overjoyed to see how much lush, new growth was there!!! You couldn't even tell there had been a fire around town. Along the top of some of the mountain range there were still charred remains of pines but the underbrush was filled with beautiful flowers, bushes and smaller trees, in just a couple years. Your meadow will return before the forest and it will be freshly fertilized and possibly even prettier. Have faith and be of good courage. Stand in awe of this amazing creation and His goodness!! Hugs and prayers for all of you!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I know it will be restored eventually. It is hard to be patient. I'm antsy to get up there and see how much was lost and how much was saved. So many life lessons in a situation like this. We've have lots of good conversations with our kids because of this and there have been lots of opportunities to serve as well. Good has come from this :)
I hate to hear about the wildfire. I know those mountains from the years I lived not too far from you. I remember how if things got too hectic I'd go into the mountains and refresh and get a better state of mind to come back and feel like I could take it all on! The only good thing about a wildfire is it will allow the vegetation to come back and regrow to a lush area again, over time. So you can watch it grow up, just like you get to watch your children grow up and share the achievements in the growth like you have shared the beauty in the past.
Aren't the mountains amazing for that? They refresh you and heal you. I love these mountains :) I am looking forward to being able to go up there once this is contained to survey the damage and to see if any of our spots were spared. I am thankful no lives or homes have been lost. Such a blessing!
I drove thru late last night seeing all those bright red flames on the mountain and thought of you and Kara's Creations. So heartbreaking ?.
It is so sad! Poor Kara has been evacuated. Luckily her parents are near by. It could be weeks before she is allowed back home. But it looks like they won't loose any homes if things keep going this well. That is amazing.
Stacy, I understand the grief of seeing land that you love destroyed by fire. I live in California where we have had many devastating fires. My city had a massive, neighborhood leveling fire that came quite close to my neighborhood. My home town, in a rural mountain area now sits in a thousand area radius of charred land. The sadness is overwhelming at times. I hope this was therapeutic for you. I will pray for the fire to stop, for no homes or lives to be lost and for the comfort of Christ to settle over you. The fire in our city was nearly one year ago. Our city has become stronger and more hopeful in a beautiful way. The rebuilding and regrowth has been amazing and eases the pain of the devastation. My boys and I have been amazed at how a tree will regrow after being so badly burned. Thank you for sharing your pictures. They are beautiful!
Oh I am so sorry! That is heart breaking. I agree though that a tragedy like this does bring the community together. The amount of service and love that has been shown is overwhelming and it makes me proud of my community.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you.
I can not remember how long I have been reading your blog, sorry to hear about your mountain. My son is in Provo now for a
internship at the University Valley Hospital I think that is it's name not far from BU. His plans were to utilize the mountain for camping and fishing, and hiking on the weekends while he is there. Had a hard time getting there because the roads were closed, and detours from Highway 80. You and your family are in my nighty prayers. Stay safe.
Thank you for your comment and your prayers. The shock has worn off and I have felt so much peace. I am still sad, but I know things will be alright. I am curious to know how much has burned and how much is untouched since fires tend to jump around. I'll be taking pictures and giving an update as soon as they allow us back up there. I hope your son is enjoying this area. It is a beautiful valley!
Sorry my husband said I stated it wrong he use Highway 80 to Salt Lake City and took Highway 15 he thinks into Provo. It was from SLC that he had all the detours in to Provo.
Oh my...this is such sad news. The photos you shared are SO beautiful so it is easy to see why you are mourning so deeply. Your photos show so many lovely places that you and your family shared. To think they are gone is just almost unimaginable. Keep us posted. Prayers for you and your community....and the wildlife that share that beautiful mountain.
Thank you. I will take pictures as soon as they let us back up there. I hope at least some of our spots are okay. I've been worried about the wildlife and cattle too. I am hoping they found a safe place to wait out the fires.
Oh Stacy, I am sorry you are so close to this disaster! I will keep you close to my heart and prayers! Thank you for the beautiful picture of your lovely mountain and the wonderful family time you have had upon it! I can't begin to imagine seeing it every day and now having to worry about what will happen next! You will have a lot of support! I am glad you wrote this post and shared your feelings about this special place! I will check in with you soon! Take care my friend! Hugs from miles away!
Thank you so much. I have felt the love and prayers. It has calmed me. I will keep everyone updated.
I am so sorry. we can empathize having lived in California for so many decades. One of my hsbs friends is still trying to put their house/home together after being burned to the ground a few years ago. the insurance saga was not a pretty one. unfortunately they lost all their photos. and their mountain location still shows burn scars. some of their neighbors chose to move on so they see those spots where they did the activities neighbors do together. They do feel they have grown more thankful as a family since therie was no loss of life. Prayers do help tremendously.
Losing a home would be so hard! The photos would be the toughest loss of all. This has made Shane and I aware that were are not as prepared as we thought for a natural disaster and we have been getting more of our photos online and backed up. Things like this tend to put everything into perspective. Thank you for your sweet comment.
I understand so very well all the feelings you have for this place. Half of Sweden´s ( that´s where I live ) forrests and lovely fields burned and are lost since August this year. My heart is with you and aching for your loss.
Oh I am so sorry! I hadn't heard about those fires. What a terrible tragedy to happen to such a beautiful place. I hope both our beloved places green up next year.
Hello again Stacy the shock will never wear off, put glad you are at some peace about it and you and your family are ok. My son called Wed and he went on a a bike trail that was partially open. It was a mess he said, it smelled of smoke and the view was devastating. will be finding a new bike path. I look forward to seeing your pictures and my son pictures, because you truly do not know what a mountain fire is like by watching the news. I will keep you and your family and friends in my prayer as well as all the fire fighters who are working long hours.