Last Fall our mountains caught fire. You can read that post HERE. It turned into the second largest wildfire our state has ever had. I look out my window and can see the burned scars. For those of you who asked, and those of you interested in a quick update, here you go :)
After the fire, they closed the canyon down. We were not able to go up in the Fall to see the damage up close. This winter we got more snow than usual which meant that the canyon remained closed longer this spring. A couple weeks ago they finally opened one of the gates. We still can no get all the way up, but we were able to go and check on a couple of our special places. They look like this now.
These first two pictures are of the trail leading to our meadow.
This is a before and after of our meadow we would hang out in as a family after hiking.
I am kind of glad that we were not able to go up right after. I think seeing some green grass growing here and there helped make it seem not so bleak.
A bit lower, there places that have burned spots among the green but are in pretty good condition. And there are even areas that look the same.
We are looking forward to when they open the whole Nebo loop so we can see our favorite camping places. We know one is completely gone but hope that some are okay. I'm also curious to see what the lake looks like.
This fire has taught me some things. Or at least reinforced what I already knew. One, our community rocks. They banded together and served their little guts out. I'm proud to live here. Second, things are never as bad in the morning, or in this case, in the spring. Having time to process things and come to terms with the change, really helped.
Fingers crossed the upper part of the canyon opens soon!
First, I'm glad you and your town are ok. Second, it's very moving to see the aftermath of a wildfire up close like this. So very sad, but, I'm optimistic it will rebound. Hope you guys still have opportunities to go camping and hiking in spots that make you happy.
Thank you :) It was both eerie and fascinating to see the burned areas up close. It helped seeing areas we love that were not burned too.
Such a horrible thing that happened. I'm happy you got to go visit the area. I can't imagine what it's like going through this situation.
Keep being positive and hopeful
Cindy
Thank you. It was so nice to go see it up close and realize so much was untouched.
Thanks so much for the update of your lovely mountain and beautiful recovery that's taking place! I know that was a very scary time for your community! Things are definitely looking up! Love & Hugs
Thank you! We are still so glad no homes were lost. We went up to Payson lakes over the weekend and it looks almost the same. So good to see :)
It is good to hear the update of your mountain and the recovery efforts. I'm glad you were able to see some of the area you have spent so much time in. It is amazing to see how good can come from such devastation. We have learned that in California too. I want to encourage you too, next year there will be bright green shoots and leaves growing all along the trunks of some of those dead looking trees. Some won't recover, but many will and adults and kids alike will marvel at the resilience of nature. Blessings to you and your family.