Once upon an early August afternoon in 2013, this little slice of a rainbow appeared over the Cinder Hills in Northern Arizona.
I’ll be honest, I can’t look at this photo without thinking of the scars left upon this landscape by the 2022 Tunnel Fire. Ponderosa pines don’t have the easiest time growing out of cinders — volcanic pebbles deposited in the area within the few thousand years. As such, regrowth in this area will be slow.
Next summer, perhaps I’ll go back to this spot and take a current photo. And truth be told, it hasn’t been turned into a moonscape, but noticeable areas have been torched.
It’s a good reminder to cherish the beauty before you — whether a fleeting rainbow or a “permanent” forest — when you have the chance. You never know what changes the future holds.
And fortunately I have this photo to cherish the beauty of days past.
-Jake
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