Wildflower of Hope
A tear slips from my eye. I can feel the loss – a feeling of emptiness and an ache deep at my core. As the wind swirls around me, I hear the loud “crack” of another of nature’s creations snapping and falling to the ground. The charred remains of the pine forest are all I can see: a once beautiful and vibrant place whose life has been consumed. I’m sad. I look down to step over another burned, fallen tree and there I see it: Hope!
In 2010, I visited Sedona, Arizona on a business trip. I had a couple of extra days, so, of course, I filled them with local hikes. It was spring and the wildflowers were in bloom! The red rock canyons and mesas were alive with green spring growth and blooms of white, yellow, pink. A wonderful sight!
One of the hikes I had scheduled for myself was the Mount Wilson trail. Mount Wilson is the highest point in the Sedona area, so you know I was headed up there! After the first half mile or so, the trail climbs steeply from the canyon floor to gain some 2200 feet. The top of Mount Wilson, primarily a mesa, is about one mile wide by two miles long. To get to the views of Sterling and Oak Creek Canyon that I wanted to see, I had to follow the trail as it cut through the middle of the mesa for the approximately two mile length.
In 2006, fires burned the pine forest atop Mount Wilson. When I decided to make the hike, I knew I would be hiking through an old burn; however, as I came atop the near edge of the mesa, I was wholly unprepared for the complete devastation I witnessed. Everywhere I looked; all plant life had been killed from the burn and had yet to recover. The trail itself was mostly covered by fallen, charred tree remains. The once living forest looked like a giant’s game of pick-up sticks, but sadly, with charred tree trunks and branches instead of colorful toy pieces.
I had the mountain to myself that day, so I was ever so careful to navigate my way across the two mile stretch. I became soot covered as I climbed over and around fallen trees. As the time passed, a breeze picked up and around me I heard still-standing, burned trees finally giving up, as with a loud crack, they fell to the ground. I knew it probably was less than safe to be picking around in a forest of falling trees, but undaunted I continued.
As I moved through the area, I could feel the presence of the “souls” of the trees. Now, those that know me know that I am not a “woo, wooer”, prone to “other-worldly” sensations. I am very much a realist. Believe me when I tell you, then, that I could feel the energy of those lost that were once alive. It was a moving experience, and one that, all these years later, still brings a bit of sadness to my heart.
As I walked along in this strange feeling of despair, I looked down as I was about to step over another fallen tree. There, growing out of the charred forest duff, was a little plant blooming in the sunshine! It was growing despite its solitude and blooming despite the devastation surrounding it. It was a wildflower of hope. I was overjoyed by its presence!
Today, as I look at the photo I took of that little wildflower, I am reminded that life is a cycle. All things change given time. Even the hardest of rocks changes form as the forces of time and nature move about it. With this knowledge, in the hardest of times, we can look to the future with hope. Thanks for the reminder, little wildflower!
