All my life I have driven by this spot seeing *nothing* but the existence of a thick, dark and living forest. That changed in August 2024, when the Jasper Complex Fire tore through the Rocky Mountains In Alberta, Canada. Photographed four months later, I leaned on the writing of Irish poet W.B. Yeats, whose words, “…a terrible beauty is born.” felt about right.
Stripping away the living foliage has opened up the landscape, revealing layers upon layers of ridges, hills, hummocks, cliffs, and mountain views that were previously hidden. It’s quite remarkable, and a bright spot after the shock of the altered landscape.
Finding patterns in the chaos was balm for the soul.
Nature is wonderful.