09/05/2017
Last Saturday my family took a trip kayaking down the columbia river between Washington and Oregon. It was a hot, but lovely day with a nice breeze coming in from the Ocean. About an hour into our trip we could see huge plumes of smoke coming from the Oregon side of the river. Later finding out a forest fire had started in the Mount Hood National Forest because someone had lit a firework. Within the first hours more than 50 acres had burned and smoke was filling the air in every direction, mostly heading East. By the time we left, shortly after sunset, visibility was very low heading back into Portland. Now ash is falling in Portland and more than 4,800 acres have burned.
It was heartbreaking to watch such a beautiful forest burn. We were there to admire nature at it’s finest and instead watched humanity at a low point. The massive destruction of our forests because of a thoughtless decision. In the midst of that disappointment there was silver lining, the many people who risk their lives to help. The firefighters who rescued trapped hikers, leaving one fire to fight another, and the many pilots of the planes and helicopters we watched fly into the smoke. Those are the heroes in this horrible situation. I am thankful for their courage and dedication in the face of this adversity. Please keep them in your thoughts this week and all the people living in that area!
