---end of 7:15 am update---
(Update @ 7:35 pm 8/30/12) It was a month ago this morning when the Halstead Fire threw up its first truly large plume near the ignition point 18 miles from Stanley. We happened to be camped at Sunny Gulch the night before and took the photo below from the Stanley Ranger Station parking lot looking north that afternoon.
Little did we know that our August 9th article on the
Halstead would have thousands upon thousands of page views.
Little did we know we'd meet new Friends through Facebook and elsewhere who would become observers, photographers, writers and commentators about the fire.
The past 30 days since we took the photo at left have been a roller coaster of riveting, saddening, frustrating, and ever captivating experiences. When the first news of the fire hit the media in early August, one fire guy was quoted as saying "This fire won't be put out easily and it won't be put out early." Oh, how prophetic!
As the weeks have turned into a month since the Halstead sprung to life at the head of an obscure creek not far from Cape Horn, our collective consciousness has begun to change in ways none of us perhaps even realize yet. Perhaps we wonder to ourselves, "How will this affect the future of Salmon and Sawtooth Country?" Perhaps we begin to ask ourselves each day, "Will this fire ever end?" Of course it will. All forest fires end some day. This one will end, too. Nobody's yet invented a fire that can burn through the winter's snows--unless it is in a cozy woodstove, of course.
We'd like to take this opportunity to put forward some positive energy about the future. We believe Salmon & Sawtooth Country will survive this fire just as they have survived fires over many millennia--with great class and style.
We believe the people of Salmon & Sawtooth Country will rise to the challenge and beam ever brighter optimism and hospitality for all those thousands who seek their annual solace, recreation and joyous fun where the majestic mountains and righteous rivers come together to create such a special place.
Yes, it's difficult to look past the daily drumbeat of dire fire news. It's so confusing to sort through the cacaphony of conflicting reports. It's hard to see the forest for the flaming trees. It's tough to take as a vast chunk of Idaho's playground burns to the ground in front of our eyes.
Let's be clear here--No matter what the outcome of this wild fire is, the Fans and Friends of Salmon & Sawtooth Country will overcome and prevail.
We believe the people of Salmon & Sawtooth Country will rise from the ashes of this event with renewed vigor and dedication to this awesome place. Yes, it's been nicked but it's not gone. It will still be just as wonderful and beautiful as it's ever been.
The mountains will still awe, the rivers will still rush, the vistas will still enchant, the air will still be clear and sweet and the blue birds' song will still stir our hearts.
As these dark days of fire fog our spirits and hurt our hearts, we must not forget there is still and forever a special magic alive in Salmon & Sawtooth Country. It is a magic that lives far beyond the fingers of any fire. The magic and splendor of Salmon & Sawtooth Country cannot be dimmed by a mere smoke plume or a swath of blackened beetle-killed trees.
Let us remember these realities during today's trying times. Let us remember that "these things, too, shall pass." As Earth, Wind and Fire meet together to fan the flames of their eternal relationship, let us reflect on why we love this place and know that it will be just as special and just as dear as ever with the dawn of each and every new day.
Many Cheers, John Parsons, Idaho Falls
----end of 7:35 pm update on August 30th, 2012---
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