Beauty From Ashes
Photo Credit: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/environment/feu-fire/feu-fire-kenow/gallerie-photo-gallery
2017 was the year of Canada’s 150th birthday, but for Waterton Lakes National Park it was memorable for an entirely different reason.
Following a severe thunder and lightning storm in British Columbia, a wildfire was detected on Kenow Mountain on August 30, about 10 km’s from Waterton’s park boundary. Over the course of the next month, the fire would grow and move into the National Park, burning 19,303 hectares affecting wildlife, structures and 80% of the Park’s trail system.
The fire was massive and I remember following it on the news. Dave and I had just been to Waterton that July to celebrate Canada Day in the National Park and even though I saw the images and videos online I could not imagine the scope of the destruction.
Dave and I returned to Waterton in 2022 and as we drove up the Akamina and Red Rock Parkway’s and hiked some of the trails we got a firsthand look at the damage. The canopy provided by the trees was gone and while you could now see for miles (there were no tree limbs to block the view), the smell of pine was gone and birds and squirrels no longer inhabited the areas that had been burned. Dead, burnt trees were everywhere; it must have been an inferno.
Regardless, Waterton was still beautiful, and we went back again in July 2023. On our first day we hiked the trail to Boundary Bay (at the U.S. border) which ran through some sections that had fell victim to the fire and some areas that had remained untouched. As we hiked, I saw something I didn’t expect. I saw a sea of purple flowers; appropriately named, “Fireweed.”
Six years after the Kenow wildfire, there was noticeable growth. Underbrush had grown back and there were lots of baby trees. But the purple fireweed stood tall and proud, creating a beautiful blanket across the mountainside. The fireweed was only found in the areas that had been burned and they came to life following the fire. Out of the ashes, came beauty.
What fires have burned through your life? What destruction or damage came your way? A broken relationship? Death of a loved one? A career that ended up in shreds? A mistake that cost you dearly?
What fireweed (ie. what beauty) grew in you as a result of that fire? Did you become stronger, more compassionate, more helpful? How long did it take to get there? There are some things that can only grow because of a fire. A fire is a natural occurrence in the forest; it is part of the forest’s lifecycle. Fires produce critical functions, and the positives usually outweigh the negatives, though it’s not easy to see that at first. You have gone through fires in your life; they produce critical functions. How did they change you?
Have you gone through a fire recently?
What beauty came from it in your life?
Recommended Resources
- Learn more about the Kenow wildfire (including pictures) here - https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/environment/feu-fire/feu-fire-kenow
- Article by T.J. Blackman (see how you can apply this to your life) – “The Ecological Benefits of Forest Fires” - https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/the-ecological-benefits-of-forest-fires/
Monthly Challenge
- Think about one or two of the fires you have gone through in your life? What beauty came from it? How were you changed?
- How can you use what you learned to help others?