The summer of 2017 was hot, windy, and dry. Add a lightning strike and a 300-year-old spruce forest to the mix, and you’ve got fire. On July 15, lightning struck the Verdant Creek area, igniting a blaze that grew from around 25 acres to over 250 by days end. The weather was unrelenting. Strong winds followed, pushing the fire farther south and east into Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. By late August the fire had spread up to the Continental Divide and encroached on Highway 93 South. It wasn’t until after the following spring snowmelt that Parks Canada could be assured that the fire was indeed out.
Photo: Parks Canada
Photo: Parks Canada
That was our first summer of fire. The air, thick and heavy with smoke, wind-carried ashes on our balcony, and eerie orange sunsets. And I can still remember Hwy 93 S, with its patches of glowing embers, just off the road.
A smoky Kootenay river at sunset, near Verdant Creek, August 2017.
Flash forward to 2019. Dave and I decided to see how the area had faired post-fire. We headed down Hwy 93 S to the Simpson River trail in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park.
View from the trail.
At first glance, it seemed barren and bleak. In all fairness, Dave had to convince me to make the trip. The whole idea of visiting a burned-out site made me feel kinda pissy. What a depressing thing to do. But then we started walking.
Simpson River, September 2019. Nature is beginning to take its course.
The new foliage was rich and saturated.
Color abounds.
There were survivors.
Another view of Simpson River. There is visible evidence of a resurgence.
Fire is an extreme form of renewal. It indiscriminately destroys the living and the dead, and in turn, creates an opportunity for new beginnings.
By the way, we saw a black bear (center, left) cross the road on our way home.