Nature's tenacity after flames of destruction
How often do you plan for an outing to a specific location and then become side tracked along the way? This was the case on a nice fall day in October when I had planned on taking a drive on Tioga Pass to Yosemite before the road was closed for the winter. Being a nature photographer, I never know where the scene will appear and am always amazed when it does.
Some distance after Tenaya Lake, I began to see evidence of fire damage to the landscape just off the road. I realized that I was coming on the devastation from the Rim fire that started on August 17, 2013 and burned 400 square miles before the 5,000 firefighters could contain the blaze at a cost of $127 million. After reaching a pullout, I decided to stop and take a closer look at the damage.
What I was about to experience was totally beyond anything that I could have dreamed up.
As I looked out over the marred terrain the thought came to me that what nature takes eons to build can be destroyed by man in the blink of an eye.
With a heavy feeling of great remorse, my eyes wandered to the blackened trunks of charred trees that must have been exposed directly to the flames.
I then saw the reddish brown scorch of needles that were not burned but exposed to such lethal temperatures.
Standing at what appeared to be the entrance to the area, between two logs was the trunk of a tree that had been partially damaged by the fire and at its base was the blackened symbol of a heart.
My feeling of remorse suddenly began to lift as I saw a large pinecone resting at the base of a huge Ponderosa pine that was untouched by the fire. I felt like I was being drawn with my camera into a sacred place, a place designed as a memorial by the hand of nature to symbolize the tenacity of life to survive against all odds.
Walking with care and reverence, I entered nature's cathedral and after a few steps, I noticed a small green plant that had recently began to grow against the base of a charred pine. In the ash covered soil were an abundance of new life with small pines and other plants just beginning to grow.
Intriguing shapes of charred tree trunks stood out and it was beginning to appear that this was not only a cathedral but also an art gallery created by the hand of nature.
Many of the blackened trunks reminded me of abstract sculpture as in the works of Henry Moore, James Abbott, Adam Bram and Agustin Cárdenas. What creative designs evolved from such a destructive force, like the Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Even the natural light falling on many objects seemed to be arranged by nature's hand. I was especially impressed with the diversity of light on a scene that accented a stump in the foreground, then shadowed the trunk in the middle and highlighted the tree to the right.
A three-dimensional shape stands tall that must have been hollowed out and then split by the intense heat. I have read that it only takes one minute of 140 degree heat to be lethal to most trees.
An interesting freestanding shape seems that it could topple to the ground in the next wind.
A Surrealistic "Moth man" image is mounted with a small evergreen in the shape of a cross by its base.
Nature's artistic hand was very creative using Pyrography to decorate this wood.
Branches drooping from crown scorch that were exposed to lethal heat and not directly burned are illuminated with the morning light and give an appearance of a metal sculpture, delicate and flowing in a gentle breeze.
After spending an unlimited amount of time in total amazement with this awesome display of nature's artistry, I looked down at a tiny aspen accented with sunlight and realized that I had been drawn to share in a very spiritual experience. Nature’s beauty inspires me, its diversity fascinates me and its resilience holds me in awe.
What
an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love
it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get
treated to new experiences.
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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.
"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"
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