Charred Bark

This tree trunk is a remnant of the High Park Wildfire (2012) that burned for nearly three weeks straight in the mountains West of Fort Collins. It was caused by a lightning strike and charred over 87,284 acres of mostly national forest land plus destroyed almost 300 homes. As I recall what it was like to wake up everyday to the smell of fire and heavy smoke hanging in the air, I am very thankful for all the rain we have had recently.