After our stop at "the Thing" we continued on toward our destination, which was the top of Mount Graham. This mountain is 10,700 feet tall, and there are three observatories located on the top. There was a terrible fire here in 2004, and the evidence of the damage is visible along the winding road to the top. I think that in their desolation, these are quite beautiful landscapes.
4 comments:
It makes me sad to see the landscape so barren after all these years. I though "Mother Nature" would begin a new cycle of life.
Joan
It takes many, many years for a place that's been destroyed to be reborn - but scientists say it does happen. May 18 will mark the 35th anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption and an informative piece posted five years ago describes its comeback. It's a fascinating explanation of how the earth performs its reincarnation and describes a resilience we could all emulate to not only survive during our time here, but thrive. The website is here: www.livescience.com/6450-mount-st-helens-recovering-30-years.html
Maybe we don't have enough time left for Ken to go back and take pictures of a renatured forest, but those who follow him years from now will be awed by the beauty of its rebirth. I'm sure of it.
It is sad that it takes so long for the environment to rebuild itself. It shows how fragile our world really is. bsk
I've been told that because of global warming (if I'm allowed to say that in this forum), that the existing forest (southernmost stand of Ponderosa Pine) will not survive against the bark beetles, and in a few hundred years, the mountaintop will be a grassland. -Dean
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