In some areas of the forest a few trees survived the fire, but in this place everything burned. It's unsettling — ghostly — and dizzying. The trail we followed runs high on a ridge; between the trees' black and white hulls we could see the other mountains as if through venetian blinds.
The sun was so bright that day I had to squint and my glasses got covered in trail dust and I was, after all, hiking with friends and many small children, so I didn't ever really look. That burned forest got into me, though. After an hour's hike I felt quiet and calm and hopeful.
At the trees' feet grew manzanita, brightbright green, the green of new growth.
2 comments:
I've always found burned forests to be hopeful. It's the way of nature, a form of rebirth.
What a beautiful and dramatic photo.
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