Fires and restarts

This afternoon I hiked up into the hills above Orem near the mouth of Provo Canyon, where a fire burned through one of my favorite local hiking areas last October. The trails through the hills are closed for repair and restoration, but I was able to follow a dirt road into the burn area to see the damage. It was sad to realize how much was destroyed. It will take many years for the area to return to the state it was before the fire.

I've hiked through areas in similar situations in other locations: Payson canyon, north rim of the Grand Canyon, the Uintas, Yellowstone. Grass and flowers return quickly; trees take longer. But as the years pass, it's interesting to watch the forest gradually return.

The "experts" tell us that in many ways, this is the way it's meant to be. Fires clean out old, dead wood. They help return minerals to the soil, and give new growth a chance. They clear out invasive species making it easier for the more natural native ones to prevail. They help eliminate plant disease and insect infestations. However, they also can cause tremendous destruction to the animals in the area, and clear the undergrowth from soil that can then suffer from erosion.

Catastrophic events in nature occur from time to time. They always bring benefits along with their destruction.

Catastrophic events occur occasionally in our lives. Most of us have lots of trials and challenges, but only once or twice in a lifetime (if that) does something occur comparable to a forest fire - something that changes everything about life, that forces us to start over, to rebuild a completely new life. When it does, we have to trust that it's part of the "circle of life" and will lead us to new opportunities and new growth.

I #GiveThanks for the miracles of rebirth in nature, and in life.