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Author Archives: Teri J Pieper

A Better Day for Us

As the Cougar Flats fire began to explode I was high in the mountains with my friend Mary from Montana. The weather was hot that week – 100 plus degress so we were anxious to get someplace cooler. We packed a little lunch for us and the dogs and headed to Harts Pass. Indeed, it was a glorious day in high country and we were lucky to enjoy it.

We started out on the Buckskin trail descending into the basin below Slate Peak
How to get a Labrador retriever’s attention
Hey – did Gus get a cookie?
My, what a big tongue you have Luna
Tiny bubbles in the creek
Smoke on the horizon down valley
Glacier lily
Pretty white flower that looks like miniature bear grass next to shooting stars
Two women and three dogs with a self timer? That was a challenge!
Mary and the Labradors!
She found a rock that looked like her home state of Montana
Mount Baker
Gus was insistent on trying to climb the stairs despite the sign that specifically said not to.
The smoke grew as the day went by
The Pasayten Wilderness looking north to Alaska
North Cascades
Silky Phacelia
Maybe my favorite wildflower

Realities

I just looked back at some of my summer posts from before the fires started. Hikes, wildflowers, fun with friends and dogs, celebrations, camping with my husband. I am lucky to have such a good life. After the fire my life will gone on as before but with a greater awareness of the dangers of wildfires.

For others, that is not the case. Authorities are now saying that 300 homes were lost. 300 families displaced. There was already a lack of family homes in this valley. Where do these people go? Will they stay? Do they have friends and families to take them in til new arrangements can be made? It’s a tragedy.

In addition to homes for people, homes for wildlife have been destroyed. Most of the mule deer winter range burned. Where will they turn? The berry crop was destroyed. What will the bears eat? Where will the birds build nests next summer? How many animals could not outrun the fire?

Yesterday I drove to Chelan with MA and even though we’d seen countless images of the destruction, we were both taken aback by the scenes along the way.

3 ribbons meant level 3 evacuation.
Fire fighters remove hazard trees from near the highway
An old storage building next to the highway
Camping memories
Utah firefighters watch for flare ups near the mouth of the Methow River
The litter burned
So hot it cracked
The fire burned around this Native American graveyard near the mouth of the Methow
Prickly pear cacti
Some homes survived and others did not
Pateros
A neighborhood burned except for this pool
No apples to pick this year
Ash covers the ground like snow

 

Relief

Today power was restored to much of the valley and most communications are back in service as well. It’s a big relief to those of us that have not suffered losses from the wildfires. Our dogs have been out of sorts with the lack of a regular schedule, lots of noise from generators and helicopters and also from the anxiety that their people have carried around for the last ten days. I took our dogs to the lake for a rousing round of fetch and Sky was beyond happy. Luna liked it too but she doesn’t share Sky’s enthusiasm. Few do.

Jump
Swim
Shake
You are going to throw this again, aren’t you?
What do you mean we have to go now?

Calm

Yesterday a tremendous rain storm with thunder and lightning cleaned smoke out of the air. After dark there was no glow on the hillsides and mountains we can see from our home. The only light was from the stars and a glow from the fire camp at the school a mile and a half away. 1500 people have created a small city there. After days of a power outage it was finally truly dark last night.

We face the north end of the burn where fire fighters and the rain have it well under control. Other places are still actively burning. ‘They’ say we will have power by this weekend. Communications are improving. Well that is true for this part of the valley. They say others will have to wait longer.

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It’s a good morning

Wildfires Continue

It has been a week since the brief lightning storm went through north central Washington and small fires began burning. Now, 7 days later in Okanogan County alone 250,000 acres and 150 homes are in ashes. And the fires are not contained. More than 1000 fire fighters from around the country and countless aircraft are working to protect the landscape and homes. All power is out in the Methow valley. The only way to access the Internet is with a smart phone or tablet and service is sketchy. Communications are very frustrating. We are safe in our house for the moment. There were a couple of days when we were ready to flee if the fire across the valley advanced to the county road. Many folks are homeless so while we may feel inconvenienced or uncomfortable because of the smoke we really have nothing to complain about.

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