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Views from our Porch

The reality is that these wildfires are going to continue til the snow falls. More than 250,000 acres have burned already and while some areas of the fires are contained, others are not. Fire managers will probably let some areas burn up to the Tripod fire where no homes or roads are threatened. Tripod burned nearly 200,000 acres in 2006 and we thought that was the biggest fire we would see around here. Other areas of the fires are being fought with forces – helicopters, water trucks and ground crews – to keep them from spreading towards Twisp, Chelan and Okanogan. Anyway, I need to get used to smoke in the air and flames on the horizon. At night, the fires are mesmerizing. It’s hard to tear my eyes away from them. Of course, after dark is the nicest time to be outside since recent high temperatures during the day have been over 100 degrees, fahrenheit.

As darkness settles in, the smoke lifts and flames become visible
Sunsets are colorful

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